Zen Petroleum Features In The Financial Times UK’s 75 Fastest-Growing African Companies

Congratulations to Zen Petroleum, the only Ghanaian company to have been featured twice in the illustrious Financial Times UK Newspaper as one of Africa’s 75 fastest-growing companies.

An impressive feat, and the weighty admiration and applause that Ghanaian businessman and founder/MD of Zen Petroleum, William Tewiah, has garnered over the years, cannot be discussed without making reference to his overall competence as a leader in the Ghanaian business space and his visionary thinking attributes.

One of Ghana’s most successful businessmen, he started his petroleum business with $10,000 in savings, and his company turned over $30 million in its first year. Fast forward 14 years, and Zen Petroleum has an annual turnover of close to $500 million USD.

Born to Ghanaian intellectual Dr. T.K. Tewiah, a former lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and a British mother, William spent his formative years in Saltpond and, at age 11, moved to Accra, having never visited there before.

He was enrolled at Prince of Peace Academy in Madina before rounding off at the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC), Legon, where he excelled and furthered his academic pursuits at the Chattered Institute of Management, Accountants, and Bankers in the United Kingdom for his tertiary education.

Having journeyed overseas in 1986, where he spent over twenty years delivering emphatic performances in the highly demanding banking sectors in England, Germany, The Netherlands, and Singapore, William Tewiah decided to return to his motherland, Ghana, in 2008 to offer his support to the economic advancement of the country by setting up ZEN Petroleum Limited in 2009, in a bid to not only give other Ghanaians the opportunity to improve the quality of their lives and earn a living but also to contribute to Ghana’s private sector development in his personal capacity as a way of giving back to the country he loves.

Typical of Tewiah’s focus-mindedness and grind, ZEN Petroleum won an initial contract to supply fuel to the goldfield mines in Ghana’s Western Region while leading the delivery responsibilities himself in 2010. The fitting outcomes

That engagement led to a turnover of over $30 million in the first year, and with the overall company turnover increasing rapidly year on year, it now stands at close to half a billion ($500 million) USD, highlighting the impressive acumen of its founder and leader.

The accomplished businessman has such a beautiful definition of what it means to be a Ghanaian and is vastly admired for his special interest in matters of national welfare and advancement.

His successful transition from the banking sector to the petroleum sector and his desire to become a social icon are reasons for William Tewiah’s growing popularity and admiration among many.

It is of no surprise that certain stalwarts within the National Democratic Congress (NDC), having monitored William Tewiah’s sterling attributes, have weighed in with positive remarks about a possible consideration of him by the party as prospective presidential candidate material worthy of the party’s ticket.

William’s strong sense of loyalty and honesty have been fundamental to his success in the business environment. His commendable level of discipline has been defined in his ability to coordinate affairs at the firm and perform the task of running one of Ghana’s most thriving businesses with excellence and color.

Tewiah’s practical administrative methods have produced some key wins for his firm, earning him a reputable standing among players in the petroleum industry and admiration from business observers and stakeholder groups.

ZEN has gone on to earn itself a strong position in the petroleum sector through its awareness of the demands of the sector and its prime performance methodology.

The company has gone on to win fuel supply and management deals with other mining firms within Ghana and beyond. ZEN has had successful engagements in Mali and Burkina Faso and continues to stretch its wings in newer territories as demands grow.

The growth and influence of ZEN in the Ghanaian mining sector has been instrumental in its place as the leading supplier of fuel to the Ghanaian mining sector, with over 1000 staff members ensuring that deliveries are made within the confines of the expected operational times.

Having expanded its portfolio in 2018 to include fuel retailing, ZEN’s retail stations have been up to the task and consistently offer the lowest pump prices in Ghana. The ethos is simple with regard to retail fuel sales: right quantity, right price, and right quality. With a rapidly expanding network and now 52 retail stations across the country, Zen Petroleum is the fourth largest oil marketing company in Ghana.

Of huge importance to Tewiah is giving back. Growing up in Saltpond, he remembers such hard times. At the forefront of his mind is his corporate social responsibility. Zen Petroleum is committed to transforming Ghana’s future through education and through various programs they sponsor that support this.

Furthermore, proud to pay their share of taxes, in the first half of 2023, indirect and direct taxes paid by Zen Petroleum to the Government of Ghana totaled a whopping 472,987,000 GHC.

The impressive growth of the firm and the competence with which affairs of the firm have been handled are reflective of the sound leadership and oversight of its founder, William Tewiah, who over the years set himself in an exemplary manner to define the course of the company and set it on the path to success.

The accomplished businessman has such a beautiful definition of what it means to be a Ghanaian and is vastly admired for his special interest in matters of national welfare and advancement.

His successful transition from the banking sector to the petroleum sector and becoming a social icon are reasons for Tewiah’s growing popularity and admiration by many.

It is of no surprise that certain stalwarts within the National Democratic Congress (NDC), having monitored William Tewiah’s sterling attributes, have weighed in with positive remarks about a possible consideration of him by the party as prospective vice presidential candidate material worthy of the party’s ticket.

William’s strong sense of loyalty and honesty have been fundamental to his success in the business environment. His commendable level of discipline has been definitive in his ability to coordinate affairs at his firm while performing the task of running one of Ghana’s most thriving businesses with excellence and color.