Sam Jonah is a Ghanaian statesman, corporate governance expert, and businessman, globally recognized for his leadership as the former CEO of Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.
Born in a military camp in Kibi, Ghana, Jonah’s journey into the mining industry began when his father, a sergeant major and World War II veteran, established a construction company and relocated the family to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
Jonah started his education in Obuasi and, after high school, chose to work underground at Ashanti Goldfields Corporation’s (Ashanti) Obuasi mine while his peers pursued careers in law and medicine, according to Forbes.
His early experience in mining revealed the dominance of whites in the sector, igniting his determination to change this narrative and make Blacks key players in the industry, even if it meant starting from the bottom.
“You learn quickly how to get what you want from people who are better equipped, who are better skilled, who are better experienced, who are much older than you are,” he told Forbes.
Jonah won a scholarship to study mining engineering at the Camborne School of Mines in England, which later awarded him an honorary doctorate. Upon returning to Ashanti Goldfields, he swiftly rose through the ranks.
After a brief period in his new position, Jonah returned to London to study business at Imperial College, now part of the University of London. In 1979, the mining company appointed Jonah as its vice president.
In 1986, Tiny Rowland, the founder of Lonrho, which owned Ashanti, appointed Jonah as managing director. He assumed this role when the company’s single mine was deteriorating and the mining industry had yet to see a Black leader.
In this new position, Jonah implemented his vision to “Africanize the mine,” shifting the company’s leadership from being white-led. Despite resistance from expatriates, he led the mine toward growth.
Jonah orchestrated a $1.48 billion merger between Ashanti and AngloGold. At the time, Ashanti was the seventh-largest gold producer, and AngloGold was the second-largest. The merger resulted in Jonah becoming the merged entity’s executive president.
He eventually retired from AngloGold Ashanti at the age of 58 and went on to sit on at least 18 company boards. He is a former member of the board of Ashesi University in Ghana and previously served as Chairman of Equinox Limited, Moto Gold Mines, and Uramin. He was also chairman of Bayport Financial Services and served on the board of Vodafone UK from 2009 to July 2019.
In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland conferred on him an Honorary Knighthood as Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE). In 2006, he received Ghana’s highest national award, the Companion of the Order of the Star.
CNN and Time Magazine ranked him as one of the world’s top 25 most influential business people, and he has received five Lifetime Achievement awards, the most recent being in 2019 by the Albert Nelson Marquis.
Jonah is the founder and chairman of Jonah Capital, a private investment holding company based in South Africa with interests in mineral resources, real estate, agriculture, construction materials, financial services, and oil and gas services.
He has advised many African Heads of State, including Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria.
Although there is little detail about his actual net worth, Ghanaian media and tabloids list him among the top 10 richest individuals in the West African country, with a net worth estimated between $500 and $600 million.
Born on November 19, 1949, and educated at Adisadel College in Ghana, Jonah is the Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast Ghana. In December 2005, Ashesi University College awarded him the Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.
