How one young Ghanaian man overcame all obstacles to sell kenkey, waakye, and other dishes in Johannesburg, South Africa

When a man sets his mind to something, he is capable of whatever that is.

The life of Ghanaian businessman Richard Akwasi Mireku, who currently runs one of Centurion’s largest restaurants in Johannesburg (Joburg), South Africa, was a prime example of this.

Back in 2009, Richard emigrated from Ghana to South Africa in search of better grazing grounds.

In order to make some money to support himself while away from home, he first tried his hand at hairstyling when he arrived in Johannesburg on December 9, 2013, but he struggled due of his lack of experience.

He remembered he could cook because of the training he had received at his mother’s restaurant in Ghana while he continued to consider what he could do to succeed.

After receiving 600 Rand from a pastor friend named Prophet Yorke as startup cash for this new firm, he then dabbled in food preparation (fried rice).

A unique occurrence in Johannesburg, according to Richard Akwasi Mireku, was carrying cooked food (fried rice) from one street to the next.

He described how his food rotted and became slimy to the point where he had to throw everything out all at once after no one seemed to want to buy it since they were sick of eating the same thing over and over.

Mr. Mireku made the decision to launch the first kenkey company in Johannesburg.

Despite the fact that he had no knowledge how to prepare kenkey, he viewed some instructional videos on YouTube to help him, and his business flourished as a result of that audacious move.

He expanded his menu to include Ghanaian specialties like waakye and banku.

I once distributed fresh water throughout Accra, Circle, and Kantamanto.I’ve sold a tonne of stuff. I was making everything myself, but after my mum advised me to travel, that’s when travel entered my thoughts, the businesswoman  said.

The 9th of December 2013 marked my arrival in South Africa.I’ll prepare them and package them in takeout bowls similar to how they used to sell them in circles using Prophet Yorke’s 600 Rand, then I’ll put them in a cooler box and travel with them for around a year, he said.

According to Richard Mireku, “There was a time I went out with fried rice, they were sick of it, and nobody purchased it…Although we don’t practise kenkey where I come from, Tuobodom in the Brong Ahafo region, I went on YouTube to learn how to. The kenkey was sold out and business began to thrive, so the following day I took it around.

One of the largest restaurants in Johannesburg, South Africa, is owned by Richard Mireku and is called Alpha Catering Services.

At his restaurant, he has over 20 employees, some of whom are Ghanaians, and he is eager to grow his company by opening up shop in other South African cities.