From job seeker to Obuasi’s youngest contractor

Just 31 years old, Master Maxwell Amekor is now a leading contractor in Obuasi, braving the storm to win mega contracts with AngloGold Ashanti.

The young contractor, who is the Chief Executive Officer of X-Mell Limited, an Obuasi-based civil engineering firm that he started in June 2018, is a product of the maiden edition of AngloGold Ashanti’s entrepreneurial skills program in 2021.

In an interview with SMS news, he said that the skills training program he participated in has empowered him and boosted his business. He said, “Since then, I have been involved with AGA in terms of subsequent training, getting tenders, and finally winning contracts from them because of the impact they made in me as a trainee.”

The Obuasi-born contractor, who is a product of St. Philips JHS, Obuasi, Armed Forces Technical School, Sunyani Polytechnic, and KNUST, was the contractor behind the magnificent 20-seater ultra-modern washroom facility at Anyimadukrom, a project sponsored by AngloGold Ashanti.

The project has received praise from the people of Obuasi as it is deemed as the first of its kind in the mining town. The architectural design, the materials used for the project, and the finishing have been praised by experts as a job well done.

AngloGold Ashanti has rolled out a plethora of skills-based programs aimed at supporting host communities, especially the youth, with best business practices and strong entrepreneurial skills.

It is also designed to support the youth to create employment for themselves and reduce the enormous burden on AngloGold Ashanti to provide jobs in the company for the teaming unemployed youth in Obuasi.

Mr. Amekor admonished that having your own business or company does not automatically guarantee that you will get a contract. “Oftentimes, business owners don’t broaden their horizons, just because they are of the view that once you register your business, the next thing is to get contracts.”

He further advised youth entrepreneurs that the business journey is not linear, so they should keep updating themselves and brace up for the challenges which lie ahead. He commended AngloGold Ashanti for the training which has helped him to bid and win a contract with the mine.

He again advised the youth of Obuasi to take advantage of the skills development programs of AngloGold Ashanti. “We cannot all get employed by AGA, so we should take advantage of the training programs to acquire the needed skills to be self-employed.”