Kofi Dadzie
Co-Founder/Managing Director, Rancard Solutions Ltd. Accra, Ghana. Age: 33
At 33, Kofi Dadzie is a co-founder and the managing director of one of Ghana’s cutting-edge technology firms, Rancard Solutions Ltd. Established in 2001 with his business partner Ehizogie Binitie, Rancard develops innovative software and services that allow blue-chip clients such as Google, the BBC, Voice of America, Tigo, Vodafone, Glo, Zain and MTN to connect to their mobile customers. Dadzie attributes much of the firm’s success to his board of directors. He explains, “Their expectations and advice from the beginning to cut down the scope of activities and focus on the few that were more mature to get the business off the ground have changed my career and the business entirely.”
Dadzie previously lived in the United States, where he earned a degree in computer engineering from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He subsequently worked at leading U.S. corporations, including Dell Computer Corp., as a senior analyst on the BIOS technology team, and in various capacities related to systems technology, software automation and online commercial platforms at Whirlpool Corp., Radiant Systems Inc. and others.
Married and a father of two, Dadzie participates actively in the Ashesi University (Ghana) mentorship program, providing crucial guidance to third-year students as they prepare to enter the work force. His company contributes to the orphanage support program of Citi 97.3, a local radio station. “Loving something or someone far more than your work so that you have a higher purpose toward which you strive is probably the most important thing,” he says.
With enough time and money, Dadzie says, he would help to develop a high-tech industry in sub-Saharan Africa, modeled after Silicon Valley, complete with everything from academics to venture capitalists. He looks to the future with optimism. “You have to love what you do. If it’s technology then you should be absolutely passionate about it, be consumed with it, live and breathe the essence of it,” he says.
Fun Facts
Favorite food: Fried plantain with beans and snapper fish in palm oil sauce
What actor should play you in a movie: Harrison Ford
Favorite sports team: Ghana’s Black Stars
Last movie: Inception
What artist/group would you go on tour with: Israel Houghton & New Breed
Movie theater or home theater: Movie theater
List the languages you speak: English, TWI (Akan), French
