He had just turned 22 and was about to enrol at the University of Ghana when his mother passed away. Life changed and the easiest and fastest way for him to take care of his two siblings was through a career in design.

Though it was hard for him at first to make ends meet, it didn’t stop him from pursuing his dreams. And he has recently been named the International Young Communications Entrepreneur by the British Council and Creative Community at an awards event in London.

Born in Ghana, 29-year-old Nana Kwadwo Duah is the deputy CEO and creative director of Oxygen, a graphic design and branding company where he maintains full creative and quality control.

He describes himself as someone who enjoys the creative process; and this was proved by his presentation to the panel of IYCE judges, he says.

‘I think I’m a person who seeks excellence, with a passion for creativity and design. My presentation to the panel of judges for the award ended on a slide that spoke about me as a brand.’

Duah says he entered the IYCE competition because he felt the need to affirm his company’s leading role in the industry with regard to its core competencies (branding, identity, results-oriented design and strategic thinking). Filled with excitement and optimism, Duah says,  ‘I believed it was the perfect platform to show the business community and other young creative professionals that Ghanaians could also shine on the international scene’.

‘On the day of the ceremony I began to think I would win. I believed I had painted a passionate picture of the Ghanaian communications industry and the relevance of branding within it.’

‘The IYCE Award is about providing avenues for skills transfer that will enable us to get to our desired destination. Ghana and Africa need more such opportunities,’ he says.

‘Being chosen as the IYCE gives me the opportunity to fast-track what I’ve always been planning to do, which is to build a critical mass of creative professionals who will use design, branding and creativity to reshape, reinforce and promote a new and dignified image of Ghana today,’ says Duah.

He commends the British Council and the opportunities that it provides around the world.

‘The IYCE, especially, has ignited a sense of urgency in me. I realised that there is so much that we can do, singularly and in collaboration with others. It has developed within me a deeper sense of purpose – such that I now see the national and commercial importance of my role within the industry.’

His own rise in that industry has been rapid. Lost, sad and daunted after his mother’s death, he decided to take up design and found a job at MAK Consult & Dezynes (a small design studio in Accra). He then moved on to STB-McCann Accra (a McCann Erickson affiliate), where he distinguished himself.

He was then sent to Sierra Leone to set up, manage, staff and train the creative department of a subsidiary that the company had established.

His confidence returned and he thought that coming back to Ghana would give him more opportunities and a promotion – but that wasn’t the case.

‘Much as I wanted to keep working with McCann, frustration set in. I decided it was time to move on and set up my own company, and that’s how Oxygen was born.’

It wasn’t always easy. Duah says Oxygen was set up to be the ‘next big thing’ on the advertising and design scene in Ghana but this wasn’t the case.

‘The reality set in after about three years of operation. Things were becoming harder and harder. I realised the market was saturated with advertising agencies.’

After Oxygen failed to make the impression that it was supposed to, Duah decided to change the direction and focus on branding, identity and strategic thinking.

He says the company uses a mix of ideas and tools it believes will serve the client’s interests.

Duah, who only enrolled at school at the age of eight, thanks his late mother for the home schooling that she gave him.

‘Her unconventional style of teaching led me to desire to know more. And because I thought I was missing out from what my friends were learning at school, it became a passion to excel in everything I studied. So at a young age I was familiar with the classics, Greek and Roman myths, African folktales, and a host of other subjects.

‘I have always loved art and design. My mother, teachers and peers admired the talents I exhibited at a young age and encouraged me to pursue it to its zenith,’ he says.

He believes that his award will serve as a strong reason for government to pay more attention to the communications industry.

He takes back to Ghana not only his trophy – the emerald glass bowl by Gillies Jones which he says symbolises a fresh beginning for him as a creative professional – but also memories, friendships and business ideas.

‘It serves as a reminder of the goals I have set for myself and an admonition to fulfil the responsibilities I have taken up to mentor other young creative practitioners in Ghana and the industry as a whole.

‘I will always be grateful for the opportunities the IYCE award has accorded me,’ says Duah.

Creative Economy is the British Council’s arts sector, whose aim is to run arts as a business which can both sustain artists and lead to the creation of wealth for countries.

The award is open to participants aged between 25 and 35 who have a minimum of three years’ professional experience in the communications sector.