Sir Sam Jonah

For a business mogul celebrated as one of the wealthiest in the country, Sam Jonah seems to take exception to touting his assets.

According to him, he was brought up in a home that upheld uprightness and humanitarian values above everything else.

He, therefore, finds it uncomfortable when industry watchers and others attempt to quantify his value in monetary terms.

The former Chief Executive Officer of AngloGold Ashanti made these comments in an episode of Ghana’s Greats on JoyNews.

Mr Jonah drove home the point saying “in my father’s house, there was an inscription, ‘wɔ bisa wu fie, w’ɔnbisa wo sika’… to wit, you name [the kind of upbringing you get from home] is far more important than your riches. So I take offence when, for instance, I have been defined by what people think I have,” he clarified.

Despite reports of mouth-watering assets putting him at the top of coveted lists of rich people, Mr Jonah insists he is merely resourceful and does not subscribe to that “nonsense”.

“When I hear the nonsense that ‘they say he is the richest man in Ghana’, it causes me a lot of grief,” he added.