Former Education Minister and Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has shared how his childhood was shaped by farming, trade, and constant movement between two regions.

Speaking on The Career Trail Season 4 on Joy Learning TV and Joy News, he explained that he grew up in two regions—a lifestyle that exposed him early to agriculture and entrepreneurship.

“I grew up between two regions, between two communities—Ashanti and the Western Region. I was born in Jachie in the Ashanti Region. Both my parents were cocoa farmers who did their trade in the Western Region, specifically Wasa Amenfi, in a town called Manso Amenfi,” he said.

He recalled the long distances involved in their farming life and how deeply rooted he became in cocoa farming from an early age.

“You walk about 10 miles from Manso Amenfi to get to a village called Antobam. About two miles from Antobam was where my dad had a cocoa plantation with many workers. That is where they did their business,” he explained.

Dr Adutwum said his formal education began at Jachie Anglican Primary School, but every vacation meant returning to the farm to support his parents.

“When I was about three years old, up to around seven, I was brought back to Jachie Anglican Primary School. Every long vacation, we travelled back to the cocoa farm to help. So I know a lot about cocoa farming,” he recounted.

He described the hands-on work he undertook as a child, from harvesting to processing cocoa.

“Cutting the pods from the trees, picking them up, carrying them to one place where we break them to get the beans out and ferment them. After three or four days, we remove them from fermentation and put them on a drying platform,” he narrated.

According to him, these early experiences quietly introduced him to entrepreneurship, particularly through observing his father’s ambition to expand the farm.

“That is where I learned a few things about entrepreneurship. When my dad was expanding his farm, you could see the drive. He wanted to have the largest cocoa farm in the area. I could see the excitement on his face when he was expanding and building,” he said.

He also highlighted his mother’s role after relocating to Jachie, noting how she became actively involved in farming and trading to support the family.

“My mom moved there to take care of us. She did everything—farming, trading, and managing arable crops like cassava and cocoyam. She also sold dry fish and anything that could be sold in the market,” he shared.

Dr Adutwum added that these experiences shaped his understanding of business from a young age.

“When you talk about seeing people engage in business, no matter the scale, there was always something exciting about it. Eventually, I got involved too,” he stated.