Ghana’s No. 1 Urban and Music Radio station, YFM Ghana, has joined in mourning a colossus and trailblazer, Patience Enyonam Akyianu, whose impact extended beyond the boardroom to the lives of young people she inspired through her story, words and faith.
The late Group Chief Executive Officer of Hollard Ghana shared an honest account of her own journey with young people during YFM’s YLeaderboard Series in 2020. In that interview with YFM’s Rev Erskine, Madam Patience emphasised the importance of focus in secondary school as the foundation for a life of success. She revealed that she had always challenged herself to pursue great things and refused to settle for anything less than excellence.
This value helped her build capacity in understanding her strenghs and weaknesses and made the requisite investments to build more on her strengths, leading to her decision to pursue Finance after secondary school at Wesley Girls Secondary School.
“I was very quantitative; I was very good with anything that had to do with figures. Even though I didn’t go on to do science or maths, whatever I chose had to have a strong maths foundation. Also, Finance was a cool thing. Whatever I do, I try to aim for the best. I challenge myself.”
Beyond her values, Patience’s journey was also deeply rooted in faith and the importance of carrying the God-factor in all she did. Sharing a testimony of this aspect of her life is YFM’s Sound Engineer; Mr. Kafui Attipoe, who recalled a key moment involving Patience after hearing the news of her passing.
Attipoe, who worked on the promo jingle for her YLeaderboard Series interview, revealed that Patience specifically requested that a gospel song titled Fragrance to Fire by Dunsin Oyekan be used for the interview promo, which in hand left a lasting impression on him.
“I remember producing the promo jingle for her interview on YLeaderboard Series. She specifically wanted me to use a gospel song for the promo. ‘My worship is my weapon’ by Dunsin and that song has been a part of my playlist till date”.
Her faith was also reflected in her work beyond the corporate space. She co-founded the Executive Women Network, was a founding member of the International Women’s Forum in Ghana and founded Kingdom Millionaires Ministries, a Christian mentoring network focused on helping young people fulfil their God-given purpose.
Professionally, Patience Akyianu brought more than three decades of experience across finance, banking and insurance to the table. She became the first Group CEO of Hollard Ghana after joining the company in 2018 and went on to lead the growth of the business and initiatives aimed at making insurance more accessible.
Under her leadership, Hollard introduced initiatives including the virtual insurer Araba Hollard, MeBanbo microinsurance and Asomdwee, a product designed for MSMEs.
Hollard Ghana announcing her passing in a release dated , September 22, 2026, described her as more than an exceptional leader, calling her “the beating heart of Hollard Ghana” and highlighting the culture of care, courage and kindness she helped build.
Patience Enyonam Akyianu is survived by her husband, Lawyer Kwame Akyianu, and their two children, Awurama and Nana Banyin.
YFM Ghana extends its deepest condolences to her family, loved ones, colleagues and all those who were touched by her life and work.