Ernest Ofori Sarpong is a serial entrepreneur and the Chief Executive Officer of Special Investments Group, the parent company of Special Ice Mineral Water Company Ltd. From humble beginnings, like most great individuals who have imparted the world with their relentless spirits and unhinged ambitions in making their presence felt, he became quite a voyager at a tender age. Born some 55 years ago into a Presbyterian family, Mr. Sarpong has fond memories of his early days as a boy. His mother, instinctively nurtured his sparsely evident traits of business inclinations which many have benefited from and grown to love.
Having had to adjust to the frequent travelling of his father due to the nature of his work at his early age, he swiftly gained an interest in his mother’s trading capabilities plied at Okaishie which cast an impressive shadow on his life. By starting from the basics, Dr. Ofori- Sarpong soon ventured into the importation of garments. The revered business mogul, thus, gathered enough confidence from his first trading with his mother, and filled with ample courage, permanently weaned himself off their collaboration by setting up Sarpong Ventures Limited– an import and trading business. This encompassed various activities bordering on so many commodities.
But, as fate would have it, the incidental chancing of an Uncle’s passion and love for real estates, led him to the subsequent business and commencement of the Special Investments Ltd.– a real estate and construction business with a significant number of estate houses and apartments in very strategic areas in the city of Accra. With this, the company has dotted Achimota, Airport, Roman Ridge, Cantonments and East Legon with aesthetically pleasing houses, apartments and office complexes.
One profound attribute of serial entrepreneurs is their voraciously scavenging tendencies in always looking out for the next clue that leads to the treasure box of business success. With his boundless optimism, beliefs and in close collaboration with his brother and co-partner, Dr. Osei Kwame Despite, the duo founded the United 2 Company Ltd. which is a holding company for the U2 Salt Limited, a 600-acre salt mining refinery company at Winneba in the Central Region and United Television, popularly known as UTV– which is currently one of the leading TV stations in the country.
In 2011, Dr Sarpong fulfilled a long held dream of becoming an industrialist by solely founding and setting up the mineral water company, SPECIAL ICE LTD.
Furthermore, he and his business partner came together again to establish a highly recognized financial institution christened Best Point Savings and Loans Company Limited– for which he was the Board Chairman until recently. Offshoots from this company have led to the establishment of Best Assurance Company and Best Pensions, both in the Insurance and Pensions industries respectively.
Dr. Ofori Sarpong in spite of being an illustrious businessman and philanthropist, has had to brave through several challenges as business hasn’t been a straightforward path, particularly in Ghana. That notwithstanding, he countenanced those trying moments while also seeking some professional advice on how well he could weather the storms in the company.
Possessing quite an insatiable desire for knowledge, Dr. Sarpong in 2019 received the Annual Directors Certification Training Program at the Purple Almond Consulting Service. Also in 2016, MRB Consult awarded him with the Corporate Governance and High-Performance Board Training Certificate. He likewise featured prominently as the Guest Speaker at the 8th Graduation Ceremony of Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center. He was also conferred with an Honorary Fellow from the Chartered Institute of Credit Management and also is an Honorary Member at Ghana Institute of Journalism.
However, the achievements of Dr. Ofori Sarpong cannot be capped and it is even more evident in the innumerable counts of plaudits, plaques, awards and recognition doled out in honor of his contribution to society and humanity at large. Convincingly, he has contributed to the reduction of unemployment in the country by employing over two thousand persons in his companies and providing them with a stable source of income.
Very philanthropically inclined, Dr. Sarpong has supported many hospitals, institutions, churches and individuals both in education and medically.
Gratifyingly, Dr. Ofori Sarpong, as proofs of his impact in society and world of business has garnered some striking awards under his achievement belt by receiving the Peristrofi World Honorary International Award Conference as an “Honorary Ambassador of Business Entrepreneur” in West Africa.
Among a host of other awards, he has been awarded the “Best Manufacturing Entrepreneur” for 2013 by Entrepreneurs Foundation under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industries. Similarly, he bagged the “2020 Outstanding Business Executive” at the 10th Ghana Entrepreneur & Corporate Executive Awards. Dr. Sarpong is also embellished with the “Highest Distinction of Global Dignity Awards” for Service to Humanity at the United Nations with the Proclamation by the Senate of New York. Equally, he has been conferred with the “Business Growth and Achievement Award” by the Ghana SME & Young CEO’s Summit. He also received the “Best Ashanti Region Business Icon” of the Year 2017, and the “Ghana Captains Award” by UAE-Africa Mentoring Consortium.
Quite a health fanatic, Dr. Sarpong is the President of East Legon Executive Fitness Club and also the Patron of the Accra Friendship Club. The President of the Republic has also appointed him as a member of the COVID-19 National Board of Trustees. He is also currently the global President of the Presec Old Boys Association.
Albeit, these achievements and plaudits may well retire some individuals indefinitely or perhaps lead them to slow down in peddling the boat on the sea of untapped opportunities. However, for the likes of Dr. Ernest Ofori-Sarpong, who are consumed with steeled interest, zeal and passion, this is just the beginning of his journey to cause a stir in the business landscape.
Dr. Ofori-Sarpong better prides himself in his faith as a staunch Christian and a presbyter. Significantly, he reckons business success and his Christian faith as one which is not mutually exclusive. As a result, he attributes his business success to God and reckons Him as the epicenter of all his business success. Success in business to him, is predicate on not just hard work, although it forms an integral part of the success story, but reverent acknowledgement of God is the key to his success.
