#12daysofglam: Dentaa Amoateng “Having A Positive Outlook On Life Gets You A Long Way”

Make a list of great African women pushing the good image of the continent outside, and the name Dentaa Amoateng will surely be in there for the several selfless projects she has successfully embarked on and accomplished in the United Kingdom for Africans.

The British Ghanaian award-winning entrepreneur has contributed to developing African youth by establishing the GUBA Enterprise and championed the good cause of getting recognition for Ghanaians who are doing exceptionally well. As such, she received an MBE from her majesty Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year

We are privileged to have interviewed her as GLAM AFRICA’s Inspirational Woman for Day 10 of #12daysof glam. Our 12 days of Christmas giveaway contest courtesy of Oshunluxe.

Tell us about yourself and what you do.

D: I am an optimist, to say the least. I believe that having a positive and ‘can do’ outlook on life gets you a long way. It allows for obstacles to seem obsolete and always keeps you motivated. I will say that I am a proactive dreamer, always thinking of ways to change the world and finding ways to implement the ideas that surface.

I am a Paediatric nurse by profession and the CEO/Founder of the GUBA Enterprise, an umbrella organisation which caters to the needs of Ghanaians in the UK.  I am very family orientated with a loving husband and four wonderful children.

You recently got an MBE from the Queen. It must have been a huge deal for you. How did it make you feel? Why?

D: To be the recipient of an MBE is a huge honour. It was unexpected and I will forever be grateful for it. It is very humbling and serves as a reminder and motivation to continue working towards the advancement of Africans in the UK and internationally. This is one of the many amazing accomplishments I have had to date and to receive this accolade for our work in advancing relations between the United Kingdom and the African diaspora is a humbling privilege.

You are the organizer of the GUBA award. Why did see a need for the award?

D: I started this organisation in 2010 because I felt that there was a need to acknowledge achievers within our community. My inspiration came from seeing a large number of Ghanaians in this country doing exceptionally well. These great Ghanaians served as role models for the youth and that inspired me to use GUBA as a platform to acknowledge these wonderful people and upcoming ones

Since its inception in 2010, GUBA has grown to accommodate various strands and now known as GUBA Enterprise – an umbrella organisation which holds the GUBA Expo, GUBA Foundation and the GUBA Careers Fair.  The GUBA Expo is a platform for Small and Medium Businesses to exhibit their products/services whilst engaging with industry personnel on business growth strategies. The GUBA Careers and Investment Fair aims to connect corporate firms in Ghana and Africa with skilled individuals in the UK. The GUBA Foundation is an initiative set up to tackle health issues within the African community. The campaign this year is on Infant Mortality.

The aim of the GUBA Enterprise is to bring about collective growth within the African community in the UK.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced organizing the award and how did you tackle them?

D: The biggest challenge we face each year for the GUBA awards is the acquisition of sponsorships. GUBA awards is a not for profit organisation and thus, relies on the sponsorships to get it running. Being selective of our sponsors and ensuring that they understand our cause is one of the many ways we tackle this issue.

You pushed Fuse ODG’s fight against Nivea for saying ‘visibly lighter skin’. Why? What did you hope to achieve?

D: I pushed the fight because I believe in the cause. I have always been of an ‘anti-bleaching’ standpoint as I believe that beauty is not a skin tone – the way you treat others and carry yourself is what constitutes to beauty. It is undeniable that we have an issue with colourism within our society. There are organisations in place that are actively fighting for the banning of bleaching products and adverts in Ghana, so to see a brand pushing the very thing being fought against really pushed me to play a part albeit, small. I don’t believe this the end of such movements, I will urge everyone to play a role in eliminating bleaching as well as tackling the colourism issues within our society. It will not happen overnight but with consistency, it will change.

You obviously use your influence to fight for courses that some even forget to speak about. What else are you passionate about?

D: One of my greatest passions is supporting Made in Ghana products. I absolutely love Made in Ghana products and try to push for it as much as I can.  There is so much talent and innovation in Ghana and once we realise the power of collective action, Ghanaian brands will succeed much more than it is presently. Through the GUBA Expo, however, there is a platform to push Ghana made products on a much wider scale.

What would you say has been your greatest achievements this year?

My greatest achievement this year was having my fourth child. It was a difficult pregnancy and doing so alongside organising an award made it a stressful time. It was my highlight, however, because I have a beautiful baby boy and had the best awards this year.

You are filming a new TV show, what is it about? What motivated it?

D: Yes, I am currently filming ‘The Dentaa show’. The Dentaa show is an avenue for people to share their story. The show works in two parts- the first of which is the Dentaa one on one interviews where I speak to various personalities in the media, business, sports and more, to hear about their journey to success.  Starting a business can be difficult so the aim is to advice and inspire the viewers.

With the second part – Dinner with Dentaa guests gets to cook their favourite meals whilst interviewing. This is a more relaxed version as it allows them to show off their culinary skills and talk with ease and candour. Both interviews really provide motivation for viewers.

What can we expect from you in the New Year coming?

D: There is a lot in store for the GUBA Enterprise in 2018. We have GUBA Careers scheduled to take place in February 2018, which aims to connect skilled professionals looking to relocate to Ghana with recruiting companies. The GUBA Awards is also scheduled to take place in July 2018. We have all the information on the prospective websites.

How do people reach you on social media?

D: I am on all the social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn just search @Dentaa_show to view my page

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