Patrick Pierson-Prah
I
co-founded two related companies with the mission to more meaningfully improve the lives of others and to provide people with increased economic empowerment. The first company, Procap Investments, which is an investment management firm, focuses on raising and managing funds to invest in agriculture in Africa. The second company, Oyster Agribusiness, helps improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by providing them with technologies, training, farming inputs and ready markets. These interventions have not only helped double farmers’ yields, but have also improved the incomes of these rural farmers.
Growing up in a rural community, where the main source of livelihood depends on farming, I have a firsthand understanding of the challenges and opportunities in this sector. My past experiences and training in finance and consulting have also been instrumental in my role as the chief operating officer in this impact investing space.
I have a B.S. in Business Administration (major in accounting) from the University of Ghana and a professional qualification in accounting from the Institute of Chartered Accountants – Ghana.
Why Fuqua?
Fuqua stood out to me as a place where I could acquire both a world-class business education and pursue my interest in social entrepreneurship, especially in impact investing. When I learned about the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE), I knew my desire to learn about and explore opportunities in impact investing would be given a huge boost at Fuqua. Additionally, when I learned about the opportunities to gain practical experience by consulting for organizations as part of the CASE Initiative on Impact Investing Consulting Program (CASE i3CP), my interest in Fuqua grew.
I think the moment that I became 100 percent convinced that Fuqua was where I wanted to be was when I decided to speak to some current students, alumni and staff. My first interaction was with Natasha Gore (member of the admissions team) in Accra. I felt the enthusiasm with which she spoke about the program at Fuqua. Interestingly, all the students and alumni I interacted with exuded the same level of enthusiasm and excitement about the school. These experiences reinforced my belief that I would not only receive a business education from a renowned school, but I would also be part of a truly collaborative community.
What impact do you hope your Fuqua education will allow you to have on the world?
Fuqua has an incredible amount of resources that I can leverage for the economic empowerment of people in Africa. Fuqua offers the kind of education that helps develop a person into a leader of consequence to solve real societal problems. At Fuqua, I would focus on finance, strategy and technology to develop meaningful solutions that can meet the growing opportunities in Africa. I am confident that Fuqua’s rich network of students, alumni and faculty, coupled with its global presence, will help me achieve this goal.
Share one of your 25 facts from your application essay.
I can neither sing (you would honestly prefer a baby’s cry over listening to me sing) nor play any musical instrument, which is of the utmost surprise to most people because my father and younger brother are both great singers and multi-instrumentalists.
Duke’s Fuqua School of Business offers scholarships each year to individuals with social sector backgrounds who are looking to acquire business skills for use in their pursuit of social impact. The CASE Social Sector Scholarship brings in amazing students who add a richness to the Fuqua student body and bring their unique perspectives to the classroom. We are proud to announce our newest CASE Scholars. You can read about our other scholars here.