Assistant Site Operations Manager, Affiliated Computer Services (Ghana) Ltd., a Xerox Co.
Accra, Ghana, Age: 34
There?s a special place in Elike Mensa Banibensu?s heart for the West Mamprusi District Assembly in northern Ghana. ?This was a district in which I was allowed, with very minimal political interference, to lead a team to put together effective development plans and coordinate their implementation. This was a job that gave me so much satisfaction and inner joy because all the projects carried out were touching the lives of the people in the communities, because their true needs had been identified, and their involvement in the decision-making processes made them see the projects as their own,? he says. He adds, ?I met Abigail, my ?soul mate? while working there as well.?
That was during his years as project coordinator for a European Union Micro-Projects program and a World Bank-sponsored Village Infrastructure Project. Today, Banibensu is assistant country manager and operations director for the health, finance and insurance line of business for Affiliated Computer Services (Ghana) Ltd., a Xerox company providing business process and information technology solutions. With more than 700 employees to manage, often demanding clients and having to keep abreast of the ever-changing IT landscape, the days can be very long. ?There are days when my staff and I would work for thirty-six hours straight in order to meet targets of the client,? says the Six Sigma Black Belt.
Banibensu has a bachelor?s degree (honors) in economics and sociology from the University of Ghana, a master?s degree in development policy and planning from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, and is a certified project management professional. He has entrepreneurial aspirations, saying, ?having switched professions previously from a purely nonprofit environment to leading operations in a Fortune 500 organization, I am ready for the future. Applying all experiences acquired is most paramount.?
Right now, he smiles, ?I am affable, God-fearing and philanthropic when I have the means to be.?
Fun Facts
Nickname: Kofinski, Banibee
Favorite food: Fried plantain and beans (Red Red), Akple and Fetri Detsi??
What actor should play you in a movie: Will Smith
What artist/group would you go on tour with: Osibisa
Movie theater or home theater: Home theater
Favorite sports team: Ghana?s Black Stars and Accra Great Olympics
Last movie: King Kong
List the languages you speak: English, Ewe