Sam E. Jonah

Samuel Esson Jonah, KBE (born 19 November 1949) is a Ghanaian businessman, the Executive Chairman of Jonah Capital, an equity fund based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Jonah was previously President of AngloGold Ashanti and shared the strategic leadership of the company with its CEO, Bobby Godsell.

Early life

Born in Obuasi, Jonah had his high-school education at Adisadel College in Cape Coast, Ghana, then earned an Associateship in Mining Engineering at the Camborne School of Mines, Cornwall, England, and subsequently an MSc in Mine Management at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London.

Career

He joined Ashanti Goldfields Corporation in 1979, working in various capacities, including underground operations. At the age of 36 he became the Chief Executive Officer, and supervised the transformation of Ashanti Goldfields into a mining multinational, increased gold production from 240,000 ounces per annum to over 1.6 million ounces in over ten years, and oversaw the company's listing as the first operating African company on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 2009, he became a non-executive director of Vodafone.

Currently, the Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, Jonah chairs the boards of Equator Exploration Ltd, Scharrig Mining, Equinox Minerals, Uramin, Moto Goldmines Ltd and Range Resources Ltd. He also serves or has served on various boards, including Transnet, Mittal Steel SA, Ashesi University, Standard Bank of South Africa, Lonmin, the Commonwealth African Investment Fund (Comafin), the Advisory Council of the UN Secretary General's Global Compact, President Olusegun Obasanjo's International Investment Advisory Council on Nigeria, President Thabo Mbeki's International Investment Advisory Council of South Africa, and President John Kufuor's Ghana Investors' Advisory Council. As well as his directorships, Jonah is a member of the Advisory Board of the London Business School.

Honours and recognition

Jonah's honours include an honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc) degree awarded jointly by the Camborne School of Mines and the University of Exeter (UK) in 1996. Jonah House, Adisadel College, his alma mater, has been named after his father, Thomas Jonah. In June 2003, Jonah became the first Ghanaian to be knighted in the 21st century when he was presented with an honorary knighthood by the Prince of Wales, in recognition of his achievements as an African businessman, a leading business executive from the Commonwealth, and an international public figure. Jonah has listed among the richest people in Ghana.

Further reading

• (subscription required)

External links

• AngloGold Ashanti corporate site
• Biographical sketch of Jonah at Pennsylvania State University website

• "Celebrating Ghana’s Sam Jonah", Joy Online, via Modern Ghana, 19 June 2007.
• "Sam Jonah – Africa's business legend", 23 September 2007.
• Wachman, Richard, "Sam Jonah: The Man With the Midas Touch", The Observer, 9 August 2003.
• Chris McGreal, "Gold Crisis Exposes Seam of Suspicion", The Guardian, 4 November 1999.
• Ian King, "Vodafone puts noted African businessman on the board", The Times, 28 March 2009
• "Samuel Jonah", About Vodafone.
• "Samuel Jonah", Who's Who Southern Africa.
• "Sam Jonah Builds Domitory Block For Adisadel", GhanaWeb, 18 September 1997.
• "Sam Jonah — Ex-CEO of Ashanti Goldfields", Ghana Nation.
• Henry Louis Gates, Dictionary of African Biography, Oxford University Press, 2012, p. 218.
• Samuel K. Obour, "Sir Sam Jonah named in 'Ghana Richest People' list", Graphic Online, 23 July 2015.