In the recording, Eunice Buah Assoma Hine recounts her incredible journey from poverty to becoming a multimillionaire frozen food importer, beginning in 1978 when she started out selling iced water at the port of Tema.
“I went to the docks in 1978 as an ice water seller. There was no such thing as a ‘slay queen’ in our time, so you had to work hard. I’m a person who loves to live. I was born that way, so I tried to work in a way that suited my lifestyle.” That’s what she said.
She fondly remembered being called. “Little Girl” She explained how because of its size, it served traders from different parts of the country including Kumasi, Dankwa, Nkaukau etc. At that time, the only companies involved in importing frozen foods into Ghana were the National Fisheries Company and Mankoaze Fisheries Limited.
Through hard work and perseverance, Mrs. Asoma Hinne gained extensive knowledge of the business and eventually travelled overseas to establish links with suppliers. “I didn’t stay long. I went back to continue working at the port. I didn’t come to harm anyone. I travelled with the aim of finding suppliers, so when I came back I knew what I came for. I met fish suppliers, chicken suppliers.” She explained:
Despite her success, her journey was full of difficulties, including media attacks from rivals. “I started experiencing difficulties a little while after I started working. The challenges I experienced were waking up one day and being handed over to the newspaper to deal with. I experienced difficulties for 13 years.” she revealed, highlighting the resilience it takes to overcome these obstacles.
Adakabure Frimpong Manso, who previously announced plans to release some of the recordings, revealed that the audio is from an interview he conducted with Eunice Bua in August 2023. He recalled that he was summoned to her home where she confided in him for over an hour. After the interview, she instructed him to keep the tapes secret until her death.
Following her death on June 11, 2024, Adacabre pondered what to do with the recordings he had stored, and ultimately decided to make them available to the public, to honour her legacy and provide a glimpse into her inspiring life story.