Our volunteers are the backbone of our organization, and we are incredibly grateful for their unwavering commitment to our mission. As part of our ongoing effort to highlight their outstanding work, we are thrilled to introduce you this month to Ekow Quandzie from our communications and marketing team.
Ekow is a Ghanaian based in Ghana. His career started in journalism, where he worked for six years, covering business, economic and financial development, new media, technology, startups, energy, and social development. His work as a journalist gave him world-view exposure, taking him to several countries, including the United States, Morocco, Tunisia, and Ivory Coast.
In 2015, Ekow joined Global Media Alliance, a PR agency, as a PR Executive and later rose to become Assistant Head of PR. Over the years, he has provided campaign-driven PR and marketing strategies for leading brands such as Absa Bank (formerly Barclays Bank), Samsung, UNDP, World Economic Forum, Diageo, Johnnie Walker, and Guinness. Ekow is also a Media Consultant for a number of entertainment events in Ghana, providing communications strategies and media publicity.
In addition to his professional work, Ekow is passionate and involved in community service work. Besides his work with Think Africa, he is a member of the Rotaract Club, part of Rotary International, where he helps develop communication strategies for the Club’s service projects.
Give back, grow strong: the dual benefits of volunteering
For Ekow, “volunteering is the surest way of getting fulfilled in life.” His volunteering experiences have broadened his mindset and instilled the importance of giving back to society. As a communications person, he sees volunteering as a way for society to benefit from his knowledge and impact.
“I joined Think Africa as a Volunteer in 2022”, he reminisces. “My friend Michael Bruce from Think Africa’s marketing and communications team made a post on LinkedIn about TA and volunteering, which sparked my interest.”
Reflecting on his time at Think Africa, Ekow remarked, “It has given me another perspective and mindset on how to work with an international organization.” This experience has allowed him to diversify and broaden his career experience, as well as sharpen his skills in creative design, digital media, and virtual working.
“Working on global events like the Helsinki International Film Festival has been an incredible opportunity,” said Ekow, “I worked as a volunteer providing communications on the #AfricanExpress campaign component of the festival, which had 12 specially-curated African films for the HiFF. The screening of these African films at the festival was sold-out, and the campaign was initiated by Think Africa. Big thanks to Michael Bruce, Roberto Blanco Raitasuo, and Myriam Munezero for giving me this opportunity.”
The second project in which Ekow took part was Think Africa Week 2022, where he handled the social media postings of all the event’s activities. While it required a lot of effort, the experience was equally rewarding and enjoyable.
For aspiring volunteers
When asked about the advice he would give to aspiring volunteers, Ekow says, “be a volunteer and support your community! Giving back to society is the best for humankind. Joining Think Africa will give you the opportunity to sharpen your soft skills.”
Inspired by Ekow’s story? Follow in his footsteps and join Think Africa as a volunteer. You can also get in touch with us at info@thinkafrica.fi.
