The Country’s number 1 urban radio, Y107.9FM has taken its listeners on a journey into the personal life of the Managing Director (MD) of the Primetime Company Limited, organizers of the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ), Nana Akua Ankomah-Asare.
The inspiring force for the youth shared striking aspects of her life from her upbringing, education, family and career with Y107.9FM’s Rev. Erskine on the Y LeaderBoard Series.
The YLeaderBoard Series is a weekly segment on YFM’s ‘Myd Morning’ radio show with an objective to develop and inspire the youth to achieve greatness. Leaders are hosted weekly to share their life story, journey to greatness and lessons for personal/national growth and development.
Born to Supreme Court Judge Henrietta Joy Abena Nyarko Mensa-Bonsu and being the first of three daughters, Nana Akua was raised to be diligent, pursue excellence and to believe in herself.
The Sekondi born moved to the Central Region to pursue her secondary education at her mother’s Alma matter, Wesley Girls High School. As a second generation ‘Wey Gey Hey’ student, she did not allow expectations placed on her to hold her back from enjoying school. Making the most out of her life in school, she joined the school’s cadet and field and track team and picked up emceeing along the line.
Being appreciative for the training she received at Wesley Girls, she actively participated in the school’s alumni activities and was elected President of the Association on more than one occasion, leaving her mark.
The multi-lingual who discovered her penchant for languages at a young age is fluent in Spanish and French, also has a beginner’s appreciation for the Dutch language and speaks flawless Fante.
After Wesley Girls, she pursued degrees, B.A French and Spanish and M.A Communication Studies at the University of Ghana before moving to Ohio University to pursue a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs, Communication and Development Studies.
The mother of two describes her daughters as smart “and my life revolves around them”. Using the opportunity to advise mothers, she said, “Motherhood has taught me that I need to take care of myself first. If you don’t take care of yourself as a mother, you cannot take care of others because you will not have the required energy.”
To her, family is the most important thing to her and pronounces her family as a close knitted and supportive one taking charge of each other “and we have an adopted family hymn.”
Nana Ankomah-Asare shedding light on how she found her way into her current position, credited her ability to improve upon the NSMQ year after year to her involvement from a young age. “I grew up on the National Science and Maths Quiz and we used to go watch it after school. After completing Senior High School, I worked on the show and other television programmes produced by Primetime,” she told Rev Erskine.
The Primetime MD graduated from watching and working on Primetime to actually running the show, and that is why she is said to have been born on the NSMQ.
Her philosophy as a leader has always been to give an equal opportunity to everyone to share their ideas because “Ideas come from all sorts of places” and has had her staff shoot down her ideas. She insists this philosophy in more ways than one has propelled the NSMQ to its current height.
The music lover shared that her all-time favourite in music is the ever green Kojo Antwi. Stating what makes the musician her favourite, she indicated, “he is very poetic and I like the way he plays and romanticizes words. He is also able to keep his lyrics clean and crunchy.” ‘Odo Maayea’ and ‘Odo Ano Wappi’ are some of her classic favourites from the Hip-Life legend.
Programmes Manager of YFM Accra, Eddy Blay, expressing his views on the interview with the exceptional leader noted: “Nana Akua Ankomah-Asare has been the driving force behind the success of the NSMQ and she has unapologetically set the standard of Maths and Science education very high. I have no doubt that she has inspired many more youths to succeed.
