Communications and Marketing
A Ghanaian student at H-BRS - an interview
The interview was conducted in English. You can find a German version on "doppelpunkt: online".
Future Plans
Q: You are currently studying management sciences at bachelor level. Do you plan to start your own business in the future?
I have this vision to start a real business, perhaps not alone, maybe as a part of a team. I don’t know exactly in which direction I will go, but it should be something environmentally friendly, probably something with which I can give something back to the society, in a way. Currently I am only a student, but maybe in the near future, if I can obtain enough capital, I can start my own business. I don’t want to work for someone else forever.
A: I currently started a small business of my own at the university, founded some semesters ago. I buy and sell neckties, bow ties, and pocket squares. I called my business KAB Wear - KAB for the first letters of my names Kwaku Antwi Bosiako.
Q: You buy the accessories and then sell them?
A: I sell them to my department. I buy the clothes from the textile designers at our university.
A warm welcome
Q: You probably had quite a long flight from Ghana to Germany. What was your first impression when you got off the plane?
A (laughs): My first time in the plane. I got off in Lisbon early in the morning first, from there I went to Frankfurt. There I saw the skyscrapers, it was a nice environment, and everything was so fresh. The weather wasn’t that cold, a little bit like in Ghana when I was leaving, because in Ghana it was the rainy season. The first impression was: oh my god, first time in Europe, everything was just so splendid. And also: that was my first flight, my first travel outside of Ghana.
Q: When you arrived in Germany, was it like what you had imagined or expected beforehand?
A: Sometimes when I was watching the news about Germany in Ghana, I saw people discriminating black people. Before I came here I thought: will I go through the same situation? Will I see something like that? But when I arrived, I experienced a wholly different situation altogether, it just wasn’t that way. People here treated me just like one of their own, open-hearted, so kind, I got a very warm welcome. A very positive side of the country.
It just came out of the blue
A: Why did you come to Germany?
Q: Oh, I did not chose to come to Germany, it was just a privilege. I had no plans of coming here first. I never thought I ever had the chance to be in Germany.
It all started in my department. They had this award "Most innovative entrepreneur student": if you had a business plan, you could submit it to the scientific staff. Then afterwards you would get screened and the staff would pick out the best concepts. So I saw this announcement and I had to give it a try. My business plan was about KAB Wear, I already told you about it. And God has been so good, I won.
I thought the award would be some kind of certificate, I did not know about the package that would be granted to the winner. And then they told me that among other things, I was invited to go to Germany for a two months internship. I was just: Wow. So Mr. Phanuel spoke to Professor Seeger who was also in Ghana by then and he was in contact with Professor Bode and Professor Deimel, and that is how everything started. I am so grateful. It just came out of the blue. My trip, my ticket, everything was funded by the investee, the Centre of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SMEs (CENTIM) of H-BRS.
Shoes for the ladies
Q: Where did you live during your stay?
A: Professor Seeger's family has been my host for the last seven weeks and now I am with Professor Deimel. They have been so very kind to me.
Q: Professor Deimel and Seeger both have families with children. What is the difference between family life in Germany and family life in Ghana?
A: I don’t know about other families, but so far my host families are just like my family at home. The only difference is the colour (laughs). If I had the same colour as you, I would not have been different from them, because they treated me as one of their own. I am so grateful for that.
Q: Now that your internship is coming to a close, did you already think of or even buy some presents or souvenirs for your friends and family?
A: I have some ideas, but it depends on how much cash I have left. Probably shoes.
Q: Why shoes?
A: I only have ladies in the family (laughs).