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Donald Gwira: Martial arts legend, corporate communications giant
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Mr. Donald Gwira might not need much introduction in corporate circles. He is an astute professional with solid background in Corporate Communication, Development, Advocacy and Project Management.
But this is not all that he is made of. He is a force to reckon with and cannot be underestimated in the art of self-defence as he holds fifth degree black belt in African Goju.
The Spectator recently interacted with the legend who has earned the title “Great Warrior” for his exceptional tactics and contribution to the sport in Ghana and abroad.
Exposure
Highlighting his progression through various forms of martial art, Mr. Gwira acknowledged the influence of his three siblings who were all well-versed in the sport.
According to him, the interest grew at age 12 following his exposure to Kunfu movies and had to study under his elder brother, Danny Gwira, in the early 70s at Adisadel College.
“When my brother left, I took over and started teaching [martial arts] in form two at Adisadel College. We organised martial art competitions, did a lot of demonstrations and started spreading martial arts in schools in Cape Coast,” he recalled.
After secondary school, he continued his education at American College in France (now American University of Paris) where he started a martial art institute before proceeding to Howard University in the United States of America (USA) for his Master’s Degree.
At Howard University, he again formed clubs and continued teaching and sharpening his skills until he returned to Ghana.
“I started with Taekwondo, moved on to Shotokan (Japanese form of martial art), and then to Chinese Goju and later migrated to African Goju, which was started by my brother,” he noted.
In 1979, young Donald obtained his first degree black belt and kept training until he secured his fifth degree black belt in 1995. He stopped teaching martial art in 1998 but continued to maintain regular exercise and fitness regime at home to enhance his health and physique.
“The more I trained, the better I became. At my age, I still keep fit; I do a lot of walks every day and I sometimes do sit ups and push ups at home or at the gym to stay active,” he said.
Achievement
The flying kick specialist set an unbeaten record in 1979 after jumping over 12 people to break a two-inch-thick tile at the Burma Camp when the Martial Art Institute did a demonstration for the Ghana Army.
That same year, he was crowned ‘Martial Artist of the Year’ and went ahead to be adjudged the ‘Best Kata’ and ‘Best Breaking’ in 1980 and 1981 respectively. ‘Kata’, he explained, “are a series of leg and hand movements that help one defend him or herself from more than one attacker.”
In 2010, he was named Life Patron and inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Martial Arts Institute for his ‘’outstanding and appreciable’’ contribution to African Goju in France, the USA and Ghana.
He and his three brothers, on separate occasions, were responsible for training the personal body guards of former Head of State, General Kutu Acheampong.
With over 40 years experience in the art, Mr. Gwira continues to attend karate and martial arts tournaments organised locally and looks forward to training more young people to accomplish more than he has achieved.
Corporate Experience
The fighter holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs from American University in Paris, and a Master’s in Political Science from Howard University, USA.
Currently an Independent Communications Consultant, he worked at Airtel Ghana, Guinness Ghana Breweries, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IABP), among other organisations and served also on boards of some public institutions, including New Times Corporation, publishers of Ghanaian Times and The Spectator.
In 2017, he was named one of the ‘Most Impactful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Leader’ while at Afriwave Telecom as Corporate Affairs Director.
He said the philosophies of martial art which became useful in aspects of his career, could be applied to personal and business endeavours, stressing that discipline, timeliness and preparation should guide young people in the corporate world.
“In martial art, you have to get your timing right; if you miss a split second, you get hit. When you transfer this into real life, it helps you to be more productive,” he said.
The powerhouse of martial arts, therefore, advocates that Martial Arts should be taught in basic schools while efforts be made to develop other forms of sport, apart from football.
Other Engagements
Mr. Gwira, from Elmina in the Central Region, is married to Mrs. Frances Gwira with four children. He is a member of the Agape Church at East Legon, Accra.
All his children, he said, had taken up one form of sport or the other with the youngest, a promising swimmer, aiming to win Gold for the Black Dolphins at future Olympics.
Admitting the rewards of martial art, he noted that those willing to take up the art should be ready to train everyday adding that progress depended on how fast one was able to learn the techniques.
Asked how long one must study martial art, he said: “There is no stopping; the only ingredient is to keep practising everyday.”
All things being equal, the 61-year-old would want to attain a Ninth Degree Black Belt in Martial Art.
By Ernest Nutsugah
Life does not always hand you a script, but you always control how you write the next chapter.
That is the story of Mrs Elizabeth Sackey, affectionately called Liz Sackey, a woman who refused to be put in a box, trading her secretarial desk for the vibrant worlds of global wine and traditional Kente.
Her journey proves that whenever life pushes you, you can use that momentum to leap into greatness.
Born on Friday, June 11, 1976, in New Achimota, Elizabeth inherited a perfect mix of corporate strategy and perseverance.
Her father, Benjamin Ayivor, was a Marketing Officer for Ghana Airways, while her mother, Janet Ayivor, was an enterprising businesswoman. This combination of global vision and local trade ran deep in her DNA.
Her journey began at Greenhill International School, and later to Mfantsiman Girls Secondary School, Saltpond where she completed her secondary school education.
Soon after, she built her professional foundation at Dard Secretariat School in Accra New Town.
For three years, Elizabeth kept things running smoothly at a fast-paced law firm. Around this time, she also got married to Chief Eng. Daniel Nii Ayi Sackey, Head of Marine Engineering, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, with whom she has a daughter.
But Elizabeth wanted more out of life. Balancing a busy life, she went back to school which then pushed her forward into Regent University, graduating with a degree in Banking and Finance in 2009.
After her National Service in the accounts office of the Volta River Authority (VRA), she and her husband took off to travel overseas many times.
Travel changes you, and for Elizabeth, it sparked a business empire. While exploring global cities, she fell in love with how international shops organised their wines by country of origin.
When she one day stepped off the plane back in Ghana, she did not look for another desk job. Instead, she took a leap of faith and launched Wines of the World Enterprise, bringing that experience straight to Accra.
Entrepreneur by day, scholar by night. She balanced the hustle of business with rigorous study at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) to earn her Master’s in Development Management.
Her passion for heritage later pulled her into Ghana’s rich textile industry, where she successfully broke into the world of premium Kente.
“Thirteen years into my entrepreneurial journey, a simple gift of wine and family-woven Kente sparked a brand-new passion,” she discloses to The Spectator.
What started as casual curiosity grew into a deeply fulfilling venture dedicated to sharing Ghana’s rich cultural heritage with the world.
By sharing iconic, masterfully crafted designs like ‘Ewdenisiedwenisu,’ (a beautiful, and complex mix of many different patterns), Emerepa (a distinct collection of traditional structures), and the regal Obaama cloth, she is driving Ghana’s cultural tourism straight into the global spotlight.
After transforming that single baby gift into a thriving venture, she has taken Ghana’s rich heritage far beyond to local borders.
“I help people globally to choose the perfect colours for their most sacred occasions, using tradition to boost our national tourism. So far, so good,” she declares with pride.”
By introducing the vibrant art of Kente to international audiences, especially those who had admired the fabric from afar but had never actually worn it, she is proving that culture is Ghana’s greatest global asset.
Mrs Elizabeth Sackey firmly believes that if the nation heavily champions the Kente industry, it will skyrocket Ghana’s cultural tourism to incredible new heights.
“The future of Kente is bright and wide,” she states with absolute conviction. International travellers are no longer just admiring the fabric; they want to wrap themselves in it.
“Pairing an intricately designed Kente with a bold, plain Kente is the ultimate secret,” she reveals with a smile.
For her, styling clients is not just part of the job, it is a natural gift. The moment a client mentions their colour, her creative instincts take over. She freely guides people to their perfect match, ensuring that every vibrant shade shines beautifully for their special occasion without overwhelming the eye.
“Choosing the Kente is one thing, but finding the right person to sew it is an entirely different battle,” she points out.
For her, ensuring a flawless final look means going the extra mile. She frequently steps in to consult directly with fashion designers, dictating the exact style and required yard to protect the fabric’s integrity. It is a meticulous, hands-on approach born out of necessity.
Despite the immense fulfillment of her textile venture, her journey has been paved with steep hurdles to surmount.
“When the rains fall, the looms slow down and that is just the beginning of the battle,” she reveals.
She says the rainy season brings severe production delays, making bulk orders of complex designs a test of patience. Worse than the weather, however, is the threat of cultural theft. Shoddy imitators and opportunistic businessmen are stealing sacred Kente patterns like ‘Meba wo abrokyire’ (My child lives abroad) and printing them cheaply onto ordinary cloth.
Fiercely protective of Ghana’s heritage, she is calling on the government to step in, secure the borders, and legally halt the mass piracy of Ghana’s intellectual property.
Liz Sackey is a proud member of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC). She enjoys unwinding in the kitchen, cooking to the rhythm of her favourite music.
Turning 50 has only amplified her mission to inspire the next generation, sending a powerful wake-up call to the youth to stop being idle.
“The future is bright so grab the massive opportunities waiting for you and boldly venture into new fields,” she advises.
By Georgina Quaittoo
At 100, Charles Baako Moses is more than a centenarian. He is a living witness to a century of Ghana’s history and a man whose life has been defined by faith, leadership, enterprise and service.
As he celebrates this extraordinary milestone, the General Overseer of The Holy Church of God looks back on a remarkable journey that has touched generations and contributed to the growth of an enduring religious institution.
His story is one of longevity, but more importantly, it is a story of impact.
Born in 1926 at Saltpond, Mr Moses was the son of Ghana’s first African Director of Prisons. At the age of seven, his grandmother took him to Accra, where he spent part of his childhood and played football at Mabona in James Town.
His life has also been intertwined with some of the defining moments in Ghana’s history. In 1939, as a young boy, he experienced the earthquake that shook parts of the country. Years later, on March 6, 1957, he was among schoolchildren who marched at the Old Parliament House to mark Ghana’s independence.
One of the defining chapters of Mr Moses’ life is his role in establishing The Holy Church of God at Parakuo Estates, Dome.
Together with his father, he helped build the fellowship from its formative years into an institution that would stand the test of time.
The fellowship attracted a number of prominent personalities in Ghana’s political history, including Ako-Adjei, Gbedemah, Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Victor Owusu.
Their association with the fellowship reflected the important role religious institutions played in Ghanaian society, particularly during the country’s formative years.
The Holy Church of God celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, marking seven decades of worship, service and community life.
For Mr Moses, the longevity of the church represents more than an institutional achievement. It is the fulfilment of a vision nurtured through years of commitment, sacrifice and perseverance.
Long before becoming General Overseer, Mr Moses was already combining faith, education and enterprise. He founded evening classes and taught, while also preaching from village to village with a lamp and a bell at nine o’clock every night.
He also helped establish a Baptist church and ventured into agriculture, planting cocoa, plantain and coconut. His entrepreneurial spirit later saw him build a juice business using oranges from his own farm.
As General Overseer, Mr Moses has provided steady leadership to the church, guiding both its spiritual and administrative affairs.
His leadership has been shaped by experience, discipline and a strong sense of responsibility. Over the years, he has nurtured generations of church members and leaders, helping to preserve the institution’s values while guiding it through changing times.
His wisdom and humility have earned him respect, while his perseverance has enabled him to remain committed to the institution he helped build.
Mr Moses’ contribution extends beyond religious leadership. He has also distinguished himself through entrepreneurial activities in transport, agribusiness and manufacturing.
His involvement in these sectors demonstrates his appreciation of enterprise and the importance of creating opportunities through productive economic activity.
His entrepreneurial vision has added another dimension to a life already marked by spiritual and institutional leadership.
Mr Moses has devoted his lifetime to faith, family and community service and development. He is also regarded as a mentor and role model to many, as well as a life coach, researcher, philanthropist and humanitarian.
Through his philanthropic activities, many people have experienced what his profile describes as new life, salvation and hope.
He is a family man and a father of seven children, adding family to the institutions and communities that have benefited from his lifetime of leadership and service.
Mr Moses’ contribution to leadership and institutional development has also received academic recognition.
He holds an Honorary Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Cambridge International College (CIC), an honour recognising his contributions to leadership and institutional development.
Turning 100 is a rare achievement, but Mr Moses’ centenary carries added historical significance because his life has unfolded alongside major chapters in Ghana’s development.
He has witnessed the country move from colonial rule to independence and through decades of political, social, economic and technological transformation.
His association with personalities such as Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ako-Adjei, Gbedemah and Victor Owusu places aspects of his personal journey within Ghana’s broader national history.
His life therefore offers younger generations an opportunity to appreciate how much society has changed and to learn from the values that enabled his generation to build institutions under very different circumstances.
Over the years, he has provided spiritual and administrative leadership to generations of believers, pursued business interests across several sectors and remained committed to family and community.
His centenary is not only a personal celebration but also a celebration of an institution and generations of people whose lives have been influenced by his example.
For the younger generation, Mr Moses’ centenary also comes with a message shaped by a lifetime of experience.
He advises the youth to listen to their parents, noting that their guidance comes from experience, love and a desire to see them succeed. He urges young people to remain disciplined, work hard, value education and surround themselves with positive influences.
“The choices you make today will shape the future you enjoy tomorrow,” he counsels.
Charles Baako Moses enters his second century with a legacy firmly established.
His centenary is also marked by another honour, as he is set to receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) and have his name included in the institution’s Hall of Fame, further recognising a lifetime of faith, leadership and service.
By Spectator Reporter
