His passion for community work and fostering dignity among individuals has driven him to make a significant impact for future generations.

As well as being the founder of award-winning inclusion organisation, Babbasa, Poku has also set-up Merop Consultancy that directly supports leaders in public institutions and businesses to make a positive impact on workplace culture and wider society.

In this interview, Poku shares his experiences, challenges, and the motivations behind his work, offering valuable insights into the importance of hope, resilience, and the power of community.

What led you to create Babbasa?
 

In Ghana, 99% of the population are black, so it was when I came to the UK where I really started to understand the dynamics of race and the intersection of ethnicity. What surprised me the most was the economic inequality and I felt that poverty is not one that seems justified in a wealthy state such as the UK.

In many ways, I wanted to see what I could do to respond to the despondency that I was seeing amongst young people. I was relatively young myself, but I felt pushed to do something about it.

That's where I chose my path to set up Babbasa. This is an organisation currently running and supporting young people from low income and ethnic minority backgrounds to pursue their professional ambitions.

Can you tell us more about the initial hopes you had for Babbasa?
 

I just felt that I needed to do something because what I was seeing in young people was not the lack of aspirations for them, but more the lack of hope that those aspirations can go anywhere.

In the early days of Babbasa, we were helping young people with CV support or job or university application. After a year or two we were recognising that we were transforming the outlook on life for that young person and what they think about themselves, and what they can achieve.

We were also creating role models within their households – they were now convincing their younger brother or older sister that actually they don't have to settle for less.

How has Babbasa had an impact on young people?

By 2020, we had transformed so many lives. We had helped around 2,200 young people to progress into the world of work.

Further recognition came from the Queen’s Award for Enterprise – which I didn’t quite see the significance of at the time! Being an immigrant, you don’t always have the cultural cues as to what some of these things can mean for your organisation, but it really was powerful for us and catapulted us to support even more young people.

One young person that Babbasa had supported some 10 years ago has become a senator in the Kenyan parliament. Watching her give a speech on LinkedIn a few days ago was just so powerful. She forever knows that actually, irrespective of your background, race or ability, with the right support, you can still add value to society, and she’s now channelling that into the world.

So whether Babbasa ends today or continues, I know that we now have ambassadors all over the world.

Who has been your biggest inspiration throughout your life?
 

When I started to think about setting up Babbasa and immersing myself in the non-profit sector, I started to understand that the grant funding you can get was heavily prescribed on what the funder wanted you to do as opposed to what you had to do based on the needs that you’re seeing – and that often didn’t always align.

So I was looking for inspiration, and I found Muhammad Yunis to be a massive inspiration – he’s viewed as the father of social enterprise. The idea is for income generation to be part of your non-profit activities, and then reinvesting the profits back into the organisation. At the time, this concept almost didn’t exist so I saw him as an inspiration for Babbasa.

There’s also a man called Kwame Nkrumah, who is seen to be the pioneer of Pan Africanism. He became the first President of Ghana after independence from the UK, and he made Ghana to be the first African state to gain independence. I think about the time that he was operating in, and how he led that movement knowing that every single day of his life was at risk. His work speaks volumes about both the sense of self determination and the alignment between his values, his actions and sense of purpose in this world.

What are the biggest life lessons you have learned?
 

A big lesson that springs to mind is that you really have to reconceptualise failure. A failure is a lesson on what you need to do differently to arrive at your destination.

I also learned that people are people and every human being has got the capacity to do good or bad, and the fact that you see someone exercising good traits doesn't mean that they don't have the tendency to do bad things.

You also need to know that actually you can't seek perfection in everything, otherwise it will slow you down. You have to move with intent and integrity, and always strive to do 100%. But don't wait for perfection, because perfection actually is only a subject of your own perception.

How do you think Black History Month can help in educating people about the contributions of black individuals throughout history?
 

I do think that Black History Month plays a significant role. Anything that brings a sharp focus or helps advance civilisation is a good thing.

Can more be done? Yes.

For example, I think Black History Month is too focused on the pain and suffering of black people. I'm not sure if the younger generation will feel empowered by this? I have a daughter and I don’t know if that would make her feel empowered to build a new technology or take on the world.

What I’ve always hoped for with Black History Month is a balance. Which is to say that in spite of these struggles there are individuals who did incredible things that the generation behind us can actually draw inspiration from – and reclaim the narrative.

I want young people to know that society today would not function the way it does without the inventions and contributions from black and brown communities.

What advice do you have for young people??

It’s important to know that while our backgrounds and circumstances may have influenced who we are today, ultimately we are responsible for who we become from here.

If you think that your circumstances define who you will forever be, then you are letting your own potential down. 

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live a life that you can imagine, and try and simplify your life in line with that.

With that imagination or aspiration, you start to realise that all the obstacles and challenges can actually be resolved. That’s what gives you joy - the idea that you're moving towards something. This can give you a deep sense of purpose.