Say hello to @Yaw Asare, October’s GrantZone Member Spotlight!
Yaw Asare is one of our international GPA members from Ghana (West Africa). Yaw currently works for a not-for-profit in Ghana, as a Grants Accountant, with oversight over federal grants. Previously, he has worked for a church as an internal auditor and budget officer. Yaw has been a member of GPA since February 2022.
I asked Yaw a few questions about his experiences, which I’m sharing below so you can get to know them a little better. If you learned something new, liked something about his story, or just want to say hi, please comment below to let Yaw know!
Please tell us a little bit about how you got started in the grants profession and what you like most about your role.
I had been working on grants earlier in my career, but I got into serious grants work when I got an opportunity to be a Grants Accountant for over a USD1.1m from the US Department of State for a US-based organization that has a country office in Ghana. The organization later won another EUR0.5m and I was given charge over it too.
What I like most about grants work is the fact that my role directly fed into ensuring that the financial reporting, financial compliance, and forecasting were real and not some abstract numbers game. The feeling of being a consultant and the go-to person over grants and being able to break down complex issues for project/implementation personnel is also gratifying.
What is your biggest career highlight to date?
Together with other team members, our management over the initial USD1.1m impressed the DoS so we received a cost extension of a USD1m. My organization gave me a mention (shout-out) in its global newsletter for leveraging learnings to be a household name in the community of grant professionals.
What advice would you give to someone who is new to the grants profession?
I would say that grants work is a direct way of contributing your expertise to humanitarian development and the SDGs. It requires being honest, and sharp, and helping your organization to continue to provide essential services to those in dire need. Doing your work well gives credibility to your organization in the eyes of its funders.
What do you enjoy most about being a member of GPA?
GrantsZone (GPA’s online community for members) offers a good opportunity to chat with fellow professionals of varying experiences to discuss the most difficult issues around the subject of grants.
What makes you happy (travel, hobbies, family, pets…whatever makes you smile).
I love to travel and meet new people with experiences to share.