Salma Okonkwo

Salma Okonkwo ,

(CEO of Blue Power Energy, Founder of Mother’s Heart Foundation)

Ghanaian businesswoman Salma Okonkwo, is a rare female face in the energy industry and is the CEO and Founder of  UBI Group.

Amidst the debate on climate change, alternative energy resources, and poverty, Salma Okonkwo has built Ghana’s biggest solar farm—called Blue Power Energy.  Salma Okonkwo explained that she was born to a family of 14 children in a clan in which women are also active providers for the family economy. After graduating from university in Los Angeles, her career in the energy industry began upon her return to Ghana in 2003 when she was hired by the oil and gas company Sahara Energy Group. She became the first female senior executive at Sahara Energy and Gas where she spearheaded the Ghanaian market.

In an interview in 2011, Salma Okonkwo said that her family had had to travel long distances for fuel, and that in the coming five    years she wanted to reach every village in Ghana to fulfil their energy needs. Meanwhile she was already dreaming of greener long-term solutions.

“Our purpose is to ensure that every Ghanaian, every village in Ghana, has their required petroleum products. We want to make a difference by being green, and in Ghana we’re the first company to do that,” she said in a video interview with Voices of Ghana.

Salma Okonkwo has built Blue Power Energy in Northern Ghana, which is her paternal heritage. The company delivers inexpensive power in northern Ghana. It all began with the hunger to make a difference in her community by offering people access to electricity in the region. Today, that passion reduces poverty and unemployment through job creation. She hopes to expand throughout West Africa.

Previously, Salma decided to sell a significant stake at the UBI group to a foreign company mainly due to inadequate finances. However, she hopes Blue Power Energy will follow a different trajectory by tapping more directly into international capital markets to help it achieve its vision.

She established Mother’s Heart Foundation in 2010, a Charitable (Non-Profit) Organization which was founded to bring hope and mentorship by providing the basic needs for human life. Mother's Heart Foundation has over the years provided accommodation, clothing, food, healthcare and education for its beneficiaries. The foundation strives to make a difference in the life of the African child. Mother’s Heart Foundation’s mandate is to be a catalyst in building human capital from the vulnerable populations of disenfranchised women and children in Africa. 

In her words, Salma Okonkwo said,  'A Quality And Purpose Filled Life Is Easier Built Upon The Foundational Pillars Of Stability; Consistent Access To Housing, Food, Health, Education And Clothing.’

(Source: mothersheartfoundation.org , salmaokonkwo.com , africanvibes.com , Women Connect Hub Facebook )