Features
Elder Samuel Anini’s achievements
Elder Samuel Anini, Church of Pentecost, Finland
Today, Elder Samuel Yaw Anini is my focus on personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
Elder Anini is a well-respected senior member of the Ghanaian community in Finland. He is a man of many hats—an Elder of The Church of Pentecost in Finland (COP), an astute entrepreneur, a former President and currently a Patron of the Ghana Union Finland (GUF), which is an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
He moved to Finland in 1996 and lived in Oulu, a city in the northern part of Finland. Before he travelled to Finland, Elder Anini worked with the Ghana Police Service, and once in Finland, he furthered his education. He later started a restaurant with some friends he met in that school, including a Pakistani, a Bangladeshi, and an Indian, with whom he studied the same course.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND HONOURS
It is only fair to give to readers Elder Anini’s accomplishments. As I wrote the last time, I recount accomplishments as part of the success stories of the personalities of Ghanaian descent in Finland to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
In July last year, Elder Anini received an award at the prestigious Predecessors Awards 2023 (Europe Edition), which is given to deserving individuals for their leadership roles. Indeed, Elder Anini and the late Sir Wilberforce Essandor, a versatile senior statesman, who was awarded posthumously at that ceremony, are arguably among people regarded as the pillars in the Ghana Union Finland and the Ghanaian migrant community as a whole. (Sir Wilberforce, who was the other Patron of the Union, died in May 2021).
Elder Anini’s other accomplishment involves a feat which was rare at the time it was accomplished, and he duly received the recognition. That is, he became the first Black or African migrant in Oulu to establish his own company. This attracted so much media attention and he was featured extensively in Finnish newspapers.
RELIGIOUS LIFE
In spite of his busy working life and other commitments, Elder Anini is someone who takes his religious life seriously. He is currently a national executive member of The Church of Pentecost in Finland (COP).
He was previously the Presiding Elder and until recently, he was the national Secretary of the church.
Indeed, Elder Anini has been one of the pioneers when The Church of Pentecost in Finland was established about 20 years ago, started in September 2000 as a prayer group with a small number of devoted persons in Helsinki.
He plays a key role in the English Assembly (or the PIWC) of The Church of Pentecost in Helsinki, which is attended by other nationalities and African migrants, aside Ghanaian migrants. The other branch is the Akan Assembly where worship is done mostly in the Twi language.
ASTUTE ENTREPRENEUR
As already mentioned, Elder Anini opened a restaurant with his student colleagues but the restaurant was closed as they all found other work schedules.
Elder Anini then worked at two other places, including the K-Market group, which is a chain shopping outlet mainly dealing with groceries. The Finnish owner of the K-Market became his very good friend and a father-figure and they have kept close contact till today. He has even visited Ghana with the Finnish businessman, which indicates a highly positive relationship.
Elder Anini later established his own cleaning company in 1999. It was indeed a first for an African/ Ghanaian migrant (‘foreigner’) to achieve that feat. As I have mentioned already, it was such a novelty that the Finnish newspapers gave him much publicity as the first ‘foreigner’ to start his own cleaning company.
His cleaning company has employed over 40 people, made up of mostly Ghanaian migrants and others, as employees. He also gives sub-contracts to other Ghanaian migrants with their own cleaning companies.
Through such moves, Elder Anini helps other Ghanaian migrants to earn a decent living. As he explained, he employs people because “it gives me joy to help, knowing that it will be a blessing to them.” The company, Sam-siivouspalvelu/Samphones, also deals in the sale of mobile phones in Ghana.
In addition, he has a real estate company in Ghana, known as SamAnini ESTATE.
HIS ROLE IN THE GHANAIAN COMMUNITY
Elder Anini has been very active in the Ghanaian community. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has chaired many functions organised by the Union, as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
As mentioned earlier, Elder Anini is currently the Patron of the Ghana Union Finland. He is also a former President of the Union.
Elder Anini has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths.
He now lives in Vantaa (in the greater Helsinki Metropolitan area) with his wife and their four children, one of whom is an accomplished footballer who plays for one of the top Finnish football teams (I hope to write about him in due course). Thank you!
By Perpetual Crentsil
Email: perpetualcrentsil@yahoo.com
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace. The same report found that managers spend an average of four hours per week dealing with conflict, and nearly 25 per cent of people think their managers handle conflict poorly or very poorly.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you’re trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved, here are seven steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
1. Don’t put it off
Facing conflict head-on is hard. However, waiting too long to address it can negatively impact your emotional well-being, focus, and the entire office environment. If you’re feeling angry, letting that emotion fester can also escalate it over time. This can make you less responsive to other points of view and make it harder to resolve the issue.
The sooner you can address the conflict, the better it will be for you, the person you disagree with, and your entire team.
2. Learn all you can about the problem
It’s important to determine the type of conflict you’re dealing with. Begin by considering the cause of the conflict. For example, ask yourself whether someone said something that upset you or if you have emotions of anger and resentment that stemmed from something that happened.
Then try to identify if it’s a task, relationship, value, or team conflict. Once you know what type of conflict it is, you can work to resolve it with specific tactics for that situation.
If you skip this step, you may waste time or escalate the situation further by trying to address issues irrelevant to the real conflict.
3. Actively listen
Listen attentively when people share their side of the story. Active listening is one of the most valuable professional skills you can possess. This type of listening involves not only hearing what the other person is saying but also listening to understand their point of view.
No matter your role in conflict, it’s easy to begin sharing your opinion with little regard for the other people involved. However, it’s important to learn about all sides of a disagreement to make well-informed decisions before drawing conclusions.
To reach a resolution, you must step back and prioritize listening over talking. Ultimately, that will encourage the other person to do the same when it’s your turn to speak. –source: betterup.com
Today, I focus on the Temple Of Praise Ministries International (TOP Church) in Helsinki, as I continue my description of personalities or institutions and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The TOP Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments that must be made known to the public. 
Some history
The Church was established in Finland in September 2016. Since its inception, it has steadily grown both spiritually and numerically, by the grace of God, as disclosed to me by Mr Matthew Anini Twumasi, the Presiding Elder of TOP’s branch in Finland. The TOP Church has other branches across Africa, Europe, and America.
The Church in Finland was founded with a vision to create a welcoming and dynamic community where people could experience God’s love and grace (see, www.topchurchfinland.org). According to Presiding Elder Matthew, the TOP Church operates within a unique environment where Christianity coexists with what is seen as a largely secular society.
Despite this, he submits, there are significant opportunities for outreach, unity, and demonstrating the love of Christ through service and community engagement.
Activities
Church services at the TOP Church are typically held on Sundays for the main worship. In addition, there are mid-week prayer sessions, Saturday prayer services, and a half-night service held on the last Friday of every month. “We also organise quarterly programs”, Elder Matthew added.
His impression of the Church so far has been positive. “It is a vibrant and welcoming community where members are committed to worship, fellowship, and supporting one another in faith”, he stated.
In sum, Elder Matthew said the Church continues to grow by God’s grace. “We remain hopeful and committed to spreading the Gospel, strengthening the faith of our members, and making a positive impact in society”, he continued.
Achievements
The TOP Church has a number of achievements and achievements. Some of the strengths include strong community bonds, cultural diversity, and deep commitment to spiritual growth.
I also remember that during the COVID-19 period, I heard that the TOP Church was one such bodies that hugely supported its members and others to cope with the situation.
According to Elder Matthew, the challenges facing the church include “adapting to cultural differences, engaging the younger generation, expanding outreach in a secular society, and securing a permanent place of worship”.
Role in the Ghanaian community in Finland
The TOP Church plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the TOP Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
The Church also has mechanisms in place to support its members who are bereaved as a way to commiserate with them in times of death and funerals.
The Ghanaian community has played a vital role in the growth of the Church. Their strong sense of fellowship, dedication to worship, and active participation have helped build a solid foundation and attract others to the ministry, according to Elder Matthew.
Integration
By its activities, the TOP Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society.
This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process.
The role of migrant associations and groups such as TOP Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
