For almost 50 years, William (Bill) Agamah has focused on building a life and career in Edmonton.

The longtime MacEwan faculty member came to Canada in the mid-1970s after studying economics at the University of Ghana and completing graduate studies at McGill University in Montreal. For decades, he worked in several Alberta government ministries, including Alberta Health, and began teaching part-time in 2001. It wasn’t until he travelled to Ghana for a family funeral in 2019 that he knew it was time to turn his attention home and give back to the community.

“There was a lot of need,” says Agamah. “The schools and clinic I visited were not in good shape and could be improved; agriculture production, especially coconut growing, was down; and everybody was expecting the government to solve these problems. That wasn’t happening.”

But as an economist and teacher, Agamah also saw opportunities.

”It’s about creating a new mindset. We need to motivate people to take responsibility as a community, see possibilities, opportunities and threats, and prepare young people to take on roles that will positively impact Somey into the future.”

Shifting that mindset has been Agamah’s focus since the Elders of the Somey Traditional Area in Ketu South Municipality called him to the chieftaincy house and asked him to consider taking on the role of Awadada (commander in chief) and socio-economic development chief.

In spring/summer 2022, William (Bill) Agamah (seated on the right) was installed as Awadada Torgbi Gbadago VI, chief of the Somey Traditional Area in Ghana.

“Education is the mantle of my chieftaincy,” he explains. “Because of my background at MacEwan, I have seen what can come from a good education. If you have the basics, there are opportunities.”

After a series of traditional ceremonies, rites of passage and celebrations during the spring and summer of 2022, Agamah immediately got to work, focusing on those educational basics.

“When I visited some of the area’s schools, I saw broken desks, windows, doors and students sitting on cement blocks,” he said. “I knew that we couldn’t wait for the government to make changes – as parents, teachers and traditional leaders, we needed to do something immediately.”

Although Mr. Agamah emphasizes that the solutions he sees are not about handouts, he decided to finance two critical projects. For the first project, he hired two retired directors of education as consultants and charged them to work with other stakeholders, to review eight grade schools in Ketu South Municipality that were performing at below-average levels in examinations. The second project involves financing the first phase of the renovation and expansion of a computer lab at one of the schools to meet the demand from students who are eager to learn about technology.

“If we motivate our young people to value education, I believe that in 10 years, we can transform our community.” 

Once the upgraded labs are fully functional and the consultants’ official report is submitted, Agamah’s next step involves networking. He plans to connect with citizens and businesses in Somey, encouraging them to volunteer and donate financial and non-financial resources to help uplift the community. He also plans to create an NGO to solicit financial and non-financial resources in Canada.

Awadada Torgbi Gbadago VI and other chiefs from the community.

“I would love to see volunteers from universities and colleges in Ghana visit Somey and share their experiences with students,” says Agamah. Ultimately, he adds, he would like to see students participating in science fairs, math clinics, computer training and robotics labs expand their thinking – and their future career opportunities.

Agamah plans to return to Ghana this summer to work with Somey’s Paramount Chief Torgbiga Adamah, along with the traditional area’s other chiefs, elders, citizens and youth to continue developing strategic plans to map out the community’s way forward.