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Meet the entrepreneur who quit law school to start the biggest charcoal factory in Ghana

In Africa, many parents often hope their children will grow up to be doctors, engineers, lawyers, or bankers.

Only a few parents support their children’s entrepreneurial skills or their desire to work in the creatives.

Sulley Amin Abubakar, now the owner of the “biggest charcoal producing company in Ghana” and probably West Africa started off as a law student.

This promising Ghanaian entrepreneur was in his final year of law school when he quit and started his own business, Zaacoal, a company that produces quality and affordable environmentally friendly charcoal for households and industries.

On his commute to school, Abubakar saw many coconut vendors and wondered how they dispose of their waste. Usually, there are no proper channels to dispose of coconut husks, meanwhile, there are so many coconut vendors on every street corner. He took a trip to the beaches one day and saw how there were so many coconut husks littered all over the place.

His desire to venture into mass charcoal production was, however, ignited when he saw a kenkey street vendor make fire with coconut husk instead of the usual charcoal or firewood.

His curiosity was at its all-time peak about this time and he traveled to the northern parts of Ghana to learn more about charcoal production. With his newly acquired knowledge, Amin began experimenting with the idea of making charcoal from coconut waste in his home.

With his final year of school hanging in the balance, Abubakar used his school fees to fund his new venture. He tried making charcoal from the husk using a tomato tin and now he owns his own factory producing stainless environmentally friendly charcoal.

His family at this point did not know he had dropped out of school; they only found out after he had set up his factory. Since then, they have been his greatest support and he now works with almost twelve people at the factory.

Catch the full story from his interview below:

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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