Becoming Independent with Irene – Afua I met Irene in 2010. I first connected with her on LinkedIn when she was working at Vodafone Ghana. She invited me to come for an interview there, which I did, although I didn’t get the job. Even after she left Vodafone and went to South Africa, we stayed in touch through LinkedIn. When she returned to Ghana, we were both in senior HR roles — I at Baker Hughes, and she at Tullow. We worked together to bring the HR community together, organising several networking events, which allowed our professional relationship to grow. She later invited me to one of her ladies’ dinners, and that was how we eventually established the Sankofa International Ladies Association (SILA). From the start, my first impression of Irene was that she is a doer. She comes up with ideas, and I respond, “Fantastic, let’s do it,” and we make it happen. That practical, action-oriented energy is something we’ve always shared. Over time, our relationship grew closer. What started as workrelated interactions gradually developed into deeper conversations about life as well. If I had to sumup the evolution of our relationship in a word, it would be rites of passage. Our friendship has mirrored the journey from dependence to independence. During my marriage, I was very much defined by my role as a wife and mother. Sincemy husband passed, I’ve had to becomemuch more self-reliant — independent, resourceful, and forward-thinking. Through this journey, I’ve been able to share experiences with Irene about the importance of finding oneself, evenwithin amarriage. Long-term relationships can sometimes obscure who you are, what you stand for, and what you can achieve. Our friendship has come to embody independence, courage, boldness, and even a sense of adventure. It has been a journey of mutual growth — supporting each other, learning from one another, and evolving together, not just professionally, but personally as well. The Birthday Journal 15
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTAyMTM3NQ==