Correspondence from the Upper East Region

It is quite rare to find someone who can successfully pursue multiple vocations and still make a meaningful impact in each. Josephine Akaribo is one such exceptional individual, making a remarkable difference in society.

She spoke to GhanaWeb's Sarah Bandal Dubure in an exclusive interview.

Josephine is a Literature teacher at Zuarungu Senior High School, a radio presenter at Gurune FM, and also runs a restaurant.

She explained that her inspiration comes from a desire to help her family, friends, and even strangers in need.

She often invites people who cannot afford meals to her eatery, allowing them to eat for free.

Since childhood, she has hated seeing others suffer. Whenever she witnesses someone in distress, she steps in to help.

“So I said I have to go the extra mile; I have to work extra hard so that I can, in my own small way, put smiles on the faces of those who rarely smile,” she said.

Josephine started her food business while in college, but it collapsed after she returned home due to lack of supervision. Nevertheless, she pressed on and later opened another eatery called Feel at Home.

She has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. As a child, she bought and resold the local snack kulikuli to her schoolmates.

Starting a business wasn't easy. Josephine didn’t receive startup capital from anyone. Instead, she saved her allowance from teacher training college to fund her venture.

Later, she ventured into selling clothes. When that business faced challenges, she reinvested in her food business.

Madam Josephine believes that success requires taking risks. What keeps her going, she says, is the people who look up to her.

“In business, you may fall many times, but that’s not the end. It doesn’t mean you should stop, there are people counting on you. You can’t afford to fail them.”

She recalled how, when she first opened her food joint at Zuarungu, she had to throw away food because people didn’t know about the place and sales were low.

Today, she successfully operates a thriving restaurant called Relief City at the Catholic Social Center, employing 12 people in the kitchen and bar.

Her work as a radio presenter has made her more aware of societal issues, further fueling her passion to support the vulnerable and help solve community problems.

Josephine shared the story of a married woman who tested positive for HIV/AIDS, while her husband tested negative. Although the woman insisted she had never been unfaithful, the man left, and her family and community abandoned her.

“Many people didn’t understand her, and the man packed up and left. The family neglected her too,” Josephine recalled.

Moved by the woman’s plight, Josephine offered financial support to help her start a small business.

“She came to me, and I told her, ‘I’m not financially sound, but if you believe in yourself, together we can make it.’ I gave her a small amount to start,” she said.

The woman started a cosmetics business and began saving through microfinance. She is now self-sufficient and cares for her children.

“She would top up her capital now and then, and she’s now a big woman—able to take care of her kids,” Josephine noted proudly.

Josephine also shared how she rescued a nine-year-old girl who was being physically abused by her uncle, resulting in mental trauma.

She became concerned after noticing the child wearing a pullover in hot weather.

“I saw the girl in class wearing a pullover. The teacher dismissed it, saying maybe some children just like to wear them,” she said.

Upon investigation, Josephine discovered the girl’s back was covered in sores—evidence of severe abuse.

“The teacher felt, since it was the father, what else could be done? But I thought, even if it's the father, he must be cautioned. His anger issues could end up killing the girl,” she feared.

Attempts to contact the uncle failed, so Josephine tracked him down through Facebook. She discovered that the girl's mother had gone to Kumasi for menial work, leaving the girl in her uncle’s care.

The man beat the child with electric cables and banged her head against the wall. Medical examinations later revealed brain damage from the repeated trauma.

Josephine reported him, leading to his arrest. She later found out he was a pastor and wrote to his church. He was stripped of his title before being released.

“He was a so-called pastor. I reported him to his head pastor, and they had to step him down before his release,” she said.

The girl, once timid and malnourished, is now thriving, healthy and full of life.

Josephine expressed concern about the current generation’s attitude toward work, saying many young people want quick success without effort.

“Today’s youth—both boys and girls, want easy money. They don’t want to work, pursue further education, or learn a trade,” she lamented.

She noted that she often struggles to find workers despite job openings.

Josephine advised the youth to embrace honest work, as opportunities often arise in unexpected ways.

“The menial job you’re looking down on could be the one that leads to something bigger. You might attend an interview, and someone says, ‘This person is hardworking, I’ve seen them before.’ But instead, some just lie in their rooms doing nothing.”

She added that many of her current staff are trained teachers and polytechnic graduates who have now become self-reliant through working with her.