Background
Jonah, Samuel Esson was born on November 19, 1949 in Ghana.
Jonah, Samuel Esson was born on November 19, 1949 in Ghana.
Born in Obuasi, Jonah had his high-school education at Adisadel College in Cape Coast, Ghana, then earned an Associateship in Mining Engineering at the Camborne School of Mines, Cornwall, England, and subsequently an Master of Science in Mine Management at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London.
Jonah was previously President of AngloGold Ashanti and shared the strategic leadership of the company with its Chief Executive Officer, Bobby Godsell. He joined Ashanti Goldfields Corporation in 1979, working in various capacities, including underground operations. At the age of 36 he became the Chief Executive Officer, and supervised the transformation of Ashanti Goldfields into a mining multinational, increased gold production from 240,000 ounces per annum to over 1.6 million ounces in over ten years, and oversaw the company"s listing as the first operating African company on the New York Stock Exchange.
In 2009, he became a non-executive director of Vodafone.
Currently, the Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, Jonah chairs the boards of Equator Exploration Limited, Scharrig Mining, Equinox Minerals, Uramin, Moto Goldmines Limited and Range Resources Limited. He also serves or has served on various boards, including Transnet, Mittal Steel Société Anonyme, Ashesi University, Standard Bank of South Africa, Lonmin, the Commonwealth African Investment Fund (Comafin), the Advisory Council of the United Nations Secretary General"s Global Compact, President Olusegun Obasanjo"s International Investment Advisory Council on Nigeria, President Thabo Mbeki"s International Investment Advisory Council of South Africa, and President John Kufuor"s Ghana Investors" Advisory Council.
Board member Internal. Advisory Board Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa. Founding member United Nations Secretary General's Global Compact Advisory Council.
Member of Board Ashesi University, Ghana.