Africa in Motion: Akua Brayie Owusu

Lesibane Mohale
Jan 9
6 min read

Updated: Jan 11

On leadership, creativity and building African agencies for a global stage.

Akua Brayie Owusu is the kind of leader who brings a rare blend of strategic thinking, empathy, commercial ambition and creative spirit. I had the privilege of working closely with Akua during my time at Ogilvy Ghana where she served as the agency's Managing Director and I as Group Creative Director.

The work we helped shape travelled across multiple markets on the continent from East to West Africa. Before her current appointment as the Group CEO of WPP Scangroup, Africa's leading marketing and communications group, Akua served as Chief Client Officer & Head of Connected Culture at Ogilvy Africa and acted as Managing Director of Scanad Kenya. Her journey has consistently focused on culture-led work with real commercial impact.

Akua is also the host of Stir It Up Official, a growing podcast that pairs meaningful conversation with a cocktail - a fitting metaphor for her leadership: intentional, generous and memorable. It’s only fitting that she’s the first guest in our interview series. In this conversation, Akua shares insight on leadership, building businesses with integrity, and what it takes for brands to win across Africa.

LM: What excites you most about your new role and what kind of impact do you hope to make?

Akua: What excites me most about this role is the opportunity to rebuild something that lasts. I see this role as both an honour and a responsibility. I don’t take lightly the fact that we are shaping businesses, brands, livelihoods, and narratives across the continent. I’m just a steward; my role is to help this business grow commercially, but also ensure that what we build is culturally relevant and meaningful for our time. I’m a problem-solver by default and a storyteller at heart and I’d like to impact three areas: to deliver consistent business results, to grow confident multicultural leadership within the organisation, and to ensure that the work we put into the world reflects Africa’s truth, complexity and heart.

LM: You’ve built an illustrious career leading teams, attaining your EMBA, launching a podcast and shaping brands across the African continent. Looking back, what’s been your proudest professional moment so far?

Akua: I don’t have one single proud moment and that’s just me. I’m not driven by awards or the spotlight. For me, pride comes from the small daily wins in the quiet, hard work. If I look at the last year in particular, it’s been taking a business that was on the brink of falling apart and restoring client confidence and making it viable again. Being able to walk into complexity and simplify it. Equally important has been growing people, unlocking potential, helping individuals who felt stuck see new possibilities and watching them thrive. Every time I’m able to support or walk alongside my teams, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction. When people say to me, “When I count my blessings, I count you twice,” I’m reminded that leadership is really about service. Being a vessel to support others has been one of the most meaningful parts of my journey.

TIA: What does African creativity mean to you within the global marketing and advertising landscape?

Akua: Africa is the home of creativity. It lives in our pulse, our humour, our resilience, and how we move through the world. Our creativity shows up in how we cope, even in memes we use to process the difficult realities of our economies and politics. It’s resourcefulness. It’s entrepreneurial. It’s in our music, fashion, colour, language, and everyday problem-solving. African creativity isn’t about big budgets or glossy productions. It’s a lived experience. It’s about how a mother figures out how to care for her family, how communities adapt, how need, joy and ingenuity coexist. African creativity knows how to speak to people where they are and even those outside the continent can feel and understand it.

TIA: What advice would you give to global marketing teams and agencies on how to connect more authentically and meaningfully with African markets?

Akua: Active listening. Insights don’t live in spreadsheets or PowerPoints. They live in people. They live in observation, in understanding what’s said and what’s left unsaid. The tension of our fears, shame and desires. Africa is not one market. Brands must invest in local understanding, local partnerships, and local decision-making power led and managed by people who actually live on the continent. The second thing is scale. Scale doesn’t come from trying to be everything to everyone. It comes from focusing on what works within each ecosystem - fewer, bigger, bolder bets rather than diluted 360 approaches that miss the point. It's about influence, shaping culture, driving transactions and being future-present.

LM: As someone who works at the intersection of African markets and global brands, how do you balance the expectations of global campaigns with the need for authentic local storytelling?

Akua: This requires honesty and bravery. Every story we tell must be authentic and rooted in local truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. When stories are told consistently and truthfully, people can feel the difference and then they connect. Global brands need consistency, yes, but consistency doesn’t mean sameness. The role of the brand must remain relevant locally. When global frameworks allow local truth to lead, the work becomes stronger, not weaker.

LM: If you could change one misconception about Africa, what would it be?

Akua: I’m sure this is very familiar, but the misconception I’d like to shift is that Africa is one country and that it’s waiting to be saved. Africa is 54 countries, hundreds of languages, and extraordinary cultural diversity. Beyond that, Africa is not sitting idle. Progress might be slow in some areas, but my Africa is shaping its future in real time; creatively, imperfectly, resiliently. We are surviving, yes, but increasingly, we are learning to thrive. The world needs to know that, because this means a shift is coming.

LM: How do you envision Africa’s role evolving within the global creative and marketing landscape?

Akua: Africa is becoming both a source and a force. The data shows a young, dynamic population. The culture shows it in music, film, fashion, and storytelling. African artists and creators are already shaping global conversations. Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, to name a few, are on the global map. Africa won’t win by copying existing models. It will lead by doing things differently. A continent rich in perspective and originality. The world should get ready.

LM: What key cultural shifts or emerging trends do you believe will shape African consumer behaviour in 2026 and beyond?

Akua: Technology will continue to be a major driver, especially mobile-led innovation. From financial inclusion to speed of communication, Africa has shown how to leapfrog systems entirely. Mobile Money platforms such as MoMo and M-Pesa are changing the game of financial inclusion. We are community-led and mobile-first and that will only intensify. Gen Z are another powerful force. This generation is vocal, restless, values-driven and unwilling to wait for permission. Unlike my generation, they’re shaping culture, questioning systems and redefining success. They are not sitting around saying yes ma’am and yes sir, simply getting an education, a job and nurturing a family. They are making tough choices and choosing unknown paths. There’s also a growing pride in identity and cultural consciousness. And perhaps most importantly, there’s a collective realisation that Africa must save and build itself, that dependency thinking is fading fast.

LM: What legacy do you hope to leave many years from now?

Akua: I hope to be remembered as a ladder that many climbed on their journey to winning. A support system, a guide, someone who held hands along the way. I want to be known for delivering results without losing my humanity. For building strong businesses with integrity. For putting people first. For telling our stories honestly. For helping people survive, and then thrive.

If I’m remembered as someone who led with care, courage, respect and my faith in God at the heart of my role, then I’ll know I did a good job.

Africa in Motion is a TIA interview series spotlighting Africa’s trailblazers in the advertising, marketing and creative industries. People who are putting African creativity on the world map and shaping culture from Lagos to London, Accra to Atlanta and Jozi to Boston. Featuring agency leaders, strategists, creatives, entrepreneurs and brand marketers, each conversation aims to unpack insights, emerging trends, shifts in culture and ideas that are redefining the African narrative.

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