TOFFEE BOY: Dr. Andrew Asamoah sold sweets and records in Kumasi before global success

Founder of A&C Mall, Dr. Andrew Asamoah has revealed that long before he became an international civil servant, he was a young boy navigating hardship on the streets of Kumasi.

Born in Kumasi-Bombata, Dr. Asamoah’s childhood was shaped by struggle. After his parents separated when he was about seven years old, he and his older brother were left under the care of their father, a trader who was frequently away.

His father operated trucks that travelled to the northern part of Ghana, meaning he sometimes spent weeks away from home.

“When we were young, he had two trucks which used to go to the north. Sometimes he would go with the drivers before they returned, so sometimes two weeks he was not in the house,” Dr. Asamoah recalled.

As life became more challenging, he learned to fend for himself. When his father later suffered a serious accident that affected his ability to work, the family’s financial situation changed dramatically.

“I had to sell in the markets,” he said.

As a young boy in pre-independence Ghana, he sold toffees at football matches, political rallies and busy areas around Kumasi to make ends meet.

“There was a man I used to go and beg. He would give it to me. When there was football, I would go to the stadium. Those days there were political rallies, so we went there to sell the toffee,” he said.

Later, he moved into selling records after a trader gave him music records to sell.

“The record had no gramophone. So I had to tell people, ‘this record is good,’ even though there was no way of knowing what was on it,” he said with laughter.

Those early experiences, he believes, built the resilience and entrepreneurial mindset that later shaped his career.

“I learned that everything I get, I have to save. That became part of me,” he said.