Samuel Allan Abban

In 2005, he had only intended to stay for a year. That turned into half a working life. Samuel Allan Abban joined Liebherr-Ghana in his mid-20s. At the site of the then branch, located in the capital Accra where he lived with his wife, he stepped into the fascinating world of service, maintenance and repair. ‘I joined a great team and had a great boss. That gave me a real boost when I started my career. I was hooked right from the start and really enjoyed my work,’ he says, beaming from ear to ear.

Samuel is every bit the family man. Those closest to the 43-year-old’s heart are his wife and three children – two girls aged 10 and 13 and a boy aged 15. Right after that comes his Liebherr family. In 2008, when Liebherr-Ghana Ltd. was founded, he was offered the chance to help set up a service station for Liebherr mining equipment in Ahafo in the south-west of the country. ‘What an adventure,’ he thought to himself at the time. ‘And what an opportunity.’ Geologists estimate that the mine still holds reserves of 17 million ounces of gold, a vast treasure trove that undoubtedly points to a golden future for mining there.

He knew at the time that the living and working conditions in the area surrounding the mine would be challenging – the infrastructure to provide the local population with a reliable supply of water and electricity was only just starting to develop. Arriving and coming to terms with living conditions that were improving only at a slow pace was therefore a ‘huge effort’. This was particularly the case for his wife, who had accompanied him from a secure existence in the capital to ‘the middle of nowhere’. ‘I’m still very grateful to her for that today.’

In Ahafo, Samuel helped to set up a comprehensive, modern parts service and maintenance structure. Today, he is the head of a 12-strong warehouse and field service team that works with the service organisation department to provide technical and warehouse support for Liebherr machines in the Ghanaian open-pit mines. This was a personal success story for him. In 2018, however, a dark shadow was cast over proceedings. ‘My boss died unexpectedly. He had always encouraged and supported me. His death has left a huge void, but I’m still always reminded of his exemplary focus on the customer,’ he says.

Role models are important in Samuel’s life. And that includes Hans Liebherr. Samuel is particularly inspired by a quotation from the company founder from 1993, which he found on the website: ‘My life has led me to consider that, with a strong will to do good work and fulfill different customer requirements to the best of your ability, you can also achieve goals that at first seem almost unimaginable. Don’t allow yourself to be disheartened by setbacks, having faith can move mountains.’

For Samuel, however, it is not just faith that can move mountains. For him, it is also about working with and for one another in a community; something which is deeply rooted in the social fabric of Ghana. And education is of particular importance. With the support of Liebherr, he was able to study in Wales at the University of Glamorgan, for a master’s degree, and also achieved the MCIPS (Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) qualification from CIPS, UK. He earlier completed Takoradi Polytechnic, one of ten technical colleges in Ghana. ‘You must never stop being curious and expanding your knowledge,’ he says with conviction.

This is why he is also involved in the Liebherr Scholarship Excellence Award. In partnership with the non-profit Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADeF), Liebherr supports particularly enthusiastic and talented science and maths students within the mining communities in Ghana by providing scholarships. Since the programme was launched 11 years ago, 15 young professionals in the area of the mines’ operations have been supported, 40 % of whom are women. ‘Ghana is clearly moving forward,’ he is certain. ‘Liebherr is leading the way here with its pioneering spirit and by setting a good example. It’s great. I’m proud and pleased to be a part of it,’ he says. Given the way he beams, there is no doubt about it. Samuel, the team leader with heart and soul, obviously made the right life decision in 2005 – to everyone’s benefit.