Ms Adiki Ayitevie is one of Ghana’s foremost communications experts in the mining industry who is currently the Vice-President, Sustainability & External Relations of Newmont.

Before joining Newmont in 2007, she worked as a journalist with Public Agenda, a newspaper noted for advocacy.

In 2016, Ms Ayitevie was recognised as one of the 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining.

She is a graduate of the University of Cape Coast and School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Legon.

Appearing on the Springboard, Your Virtual University, a radio programme on Joy FM, Ms Ayitevie shared her life story: how she wanted to be a teacher, how she had to reposition herself in life and the top 10 principles that had governed her life till now.

“It is important to reposition because we live in a world where change is constant. Things always change, situations always change but it doesn’t mean all is lost. If you understand that change is constant, then you always have to figure out how to reposition yourself to be able to take advantage of that change,” she explained.

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Going into mining

Ms Ayitevie noted that she started her career as a journalist with Public Agenda, which was an activist-driven newspaper.


“We did a lot of stories around mining that were not too positive, then 12 years down the line, I applied for a job with a mining company. Having been at one side as an activist publishing stories about mining companies and their perceived negative impact on communities, and now all of a sudden, coming into mining and having to adjust my thinking to know that this was not actually the situation.

“My goal after completing Wesley Girls’ High School was to one day become the headmistress of the school. I went to UCC in a bid to become a teacher, but I realised I didn’t want to do that again. For me, that was the first shift in my life from teaching to journalism and communication.

“The second shift was when I had a call from my boss that he wanted to promote me to occupy a new role which had to do with sustainability. I was not an environment person so I quickly had to reposition myself for my new role,” she noted.

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Sustainability critical now

Ms Ayitevie pointed out that sustainability was now a very big thing in today’s world.

“We have come to realise that we don’t exist on this planet alone and that there will be generations that will come after us. What are we leaving behind for that generation? What basis are we setting for the younger ones?

“So sustainability looks at how we do things today so that you do not destroy the future for the generations to come,” she stated.

She said sustainability hinged on three pillars: people, the planet and profit.

“You are going to deal with people so how are you protecting them and making sure that you help them exist within the ecosystem? The planet is the earth and you need to keep it so you don’t destroy it. You are working to make profit, but it shouldn’t only be profit to your shareholders but profits that you can use to bring good to the broader society,” she explained.


Top 10 principles

Ms Ayitevie shared the top 10 principles which she said had helped shaped her life.

1.   Vision: Everybody must have a vision or goal. God has put you in this world for a purpose and you also have dreams. You must know what that is and that vision must come with a plan that will help you make that vision come true.


2.   Values: Your values will guide the decisions and actions that you take in living your life. I have three values that I focus on and they are integrity, humility and innovation.


3.    Resilience: Nobody has lived an easy life so when life is knocking you, it is your resilience and ability to stand the test of time that will keep you going.


4.   Embrace change: The environment is constantly changing and you should be ready to embrace change and take advantage of it.


5.   Life-long learning: You need to learn and see it as a life-long process. You need fresh knowledge and skills.


6.    Emotional intelligence: I have seen people who have not been able to progress in their respective careers because they lack emotional intelligence. You have to be able to manage your emotions and those of others.


7.   Leadership: A leader is not by position but the ability to know that this is where we want to go and the ability to take people along to get there.


8.   Carve a niche for yourself: You need to make the conscious effort to become an expert in your field.


9.   Make relevant and meaningful impact: You need to mentor and coach to help the next generation of people become like you.

10. Well-being: Your well-being is very important. If you don’t care about your physical, mental and spiritual well-being, you are going to crash.