Chief Executive Officer of Telecel Ghana, Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai, has called for stronger ethical leadership in Ghana’s business environment, saying integrity and sound judgement are increasingly critical to attracting investment, building trusted brands and creating sustainable businesses.
She said businesses needed leaders who could combine technical competence with accountability, discipline and the ability to make responsible decisions, particularly as companies compete for capital, customers and skilled employees.
Speaking at the commencement ceremony of Palm University College at Manya Jorpanya, Shai Hills, Ing. Obo-Nai said investors were increasingly concerned not only about financial returns but also about the quality of leadership managing their investments.
“Our country is calling for ethical leaders. Investors are looking for hands that can be trusted with their hard-earned money,” she said.
She added that employers were seeking professionals whose judgement, discipline and character could strengthen organisations, stressing that technical expertise alone was insufficient to sustain long-term business success.
“Technical expertise may open the door, but integrity is what sustains trust, builds brands and creates lasting value,” she said.
Her comments highlight the growing importance of corporate governance and ethical decision-making to business development, particularly as Ghana seeks to attract private capital and expand its productive sectors.
Ing. Obo-Nai also called on educational institutions to place ethics at the centre of professional training to ensure that graduates entering the labour market are equipped to make decisions that consider both commercial objectives and their wider impact on society.
She said ethical values should be deliberately incorporated into academic programmes and reinforced through practical decision-making.
The Founder and President of Palm University College, Dr. Peter Carlos Okantey, said Ghana’s development challenges extended beyond skills shortages and included the need for stronger ethical leadership.
He said the university was using initiatives including the Centre for Ethical Leadership, the Palm Corporate Mentoring Programme and the Palm GreenLab Innovation and Incubation Lab to connect academic training with workplace requirements, innovation and practical economic impact.
The programmes, he said, were designed to help graduates translate knowledge into solutions for businesses and society.
As part of efforts to reinforce the link between ethics and professional excellence, Ing. Obo-Nai announced the establishment of the Telecel Award for Excellence and Ethical Leadership.
Sponsored by Telecel Ghana, the annual award will recognise a graduating student who combines strong academic performance with integrity, sound judgement, responsibility and service.
The initiative is expected to encourage emerging professionals to view ethical conduct as an important component of career development and organisational performance.
One of the two valedictorians, Dr. Alex Osei, who graduated with an MSc in Services Management and Leadership, said ethical leadership required professionals to remain accountable even when their decisions were not subject to public scrutiny.
He said transparency, fairness and accountability were essential to building organisations capable of earning and retaining the confidence of employees, customers, investors and other stakeholders.
The commencement ceremony was held under the theme, “The Quest to Educate Ethical and Excellent Leaders in Ghana,” and brought together representatives from academia, industry, traditional leadership, families and the university community.
