EXECUTIVES

Kofi Nsiah-Poku

MANAGING DIRECTOR

The entrepreneurial bug caught Kofi early. Half way through his pharmacy programme at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), he had already started a business from saving-up through vacation jobs in London and investing in fast moving European manufactured pharmaceutical brands for resale. By graduation, he already had a fair sized and profitable wholesale and retail business going in Kumasi. He was chosen to be a Teaching Assistant in his Department at KNUST which he graciously accepted. At the same time he was spending what little free time was still available running his shops and manufacturing basic syrups and formulations including extemporaneous preparations like Mist Magnesium Trisilicate, Cough Mixtures, Paracetamol Syrup etc.

In time, due to resilience, hard work and more than a little providence, his shops grew from one to two and then three and counting. The imported small scale purchases for resale became real licensed manufacturers’ representations and his formulations became FDA registered and properly packaged products made from a decent sized respectable plant. He was now faced with a dilemma. He loved to teach but so did he love business with equal passion. Hating to do anything by half, he had to make a choice. Kinap, until this point the name of the small business, had to give way to Kinapharma. Over a 21-year period from this point, he has pressed on adding new manufacturing products and adaptations at the rate of about 10 every few years. The business outgrew the initial location quickly and then found new space at the old Accra Chemists Factory initially on rental but soon as full owners of the entire factory. Over the next decade and a half, Kinapharma would push, grow, face the inevitable hiccups, flounder, rebound and continue. The factory would be gradually outgrown, expanded and retooled. The products manufactured would increase till the current 154 and counting. The staff from the initial three to the current 560 including 24 pharmacists and in total over 150 members of staff with at least a Bachelor’s Degree. This is for the pharmaceutical section only.

In the last decade, Kofi has taken several bold diversification initiatives and massively increased his footprints, setting up Xpert security Ltd to offer cutting-edge electronic security solutions including Intruder Detection Systems, electronic surveillance and vehicle tracking to blue chip multinational companies, diplomatic missions and luxury real estate complexes across the country. Green Diamond Estates was the next venture a few years later, engaged in the building and managing of multi-unit high end full-service residential enclaves including Aspect Court. Kofi’s most recent venture is HealthiLife Beverages Ltd. with a spec built and managed Tetra Pak food processing facility which has quickly created and established relished juice, milk and energy drink brands including Go! Xtra, Pure Milk and Gluconade. The HealthiLife plant is also already a contract manufacturing concern for some of the world’s biggest multinational drink brands. To date HealthLife remains arguably the largest indigenous privately owned and managed food manufacturing facility built at an estimated 40 million dollars. The facility, too big for just the local market, now has offices and distribution throughout West Africa including Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone and counting. Intensely engaged personally in the initiatives, direction and leadership of his business, Kofi brings his calm, persistent, constantly-learning self to bear on all the businesses. His steady hands direct these businesses that are built to last from the current direct staff strength of over a thousand to businesses with unlimited potential.