When Ghanaian entrepreneur Richard Nii Armah Quaye founded Bills Micro Credit at the age of 24, he wasn’t trying to build a multi-million-cedi empire, he was simply responding to a need in his community. Now at 40, he says he’s investing in the nation. 

“When I started Bills, I was just 24 years old, right after school,” he tells BET. “I didn’t even work after school. I just entered into the business world right away,” he recalls. “It was never the case that I thought from the beginning that Bills was going to be such a big company today, employing thousands of young people, but as I moved forward, I began to see things much clearer.” 

That clarity would lead to the creation of RNAQ Holdings, the umbrella company for Bills Micro Credit and Quick Angels Limited, a venture capital firm. Collectively, Quaye’s companies have disbursed more than 1.7 billion cedis (roughly $135 million), supported over 300,000 clients, and created more than 4,000 jobs across West and East Africa. His approach to business is both ambitious and deeply personal. 

“I came from one of the most deprived communities in our country,” he says. “If we run away with our talent, then we are not only letting ourselves down, we are letting everybody in our country down.” 

From Survival to Scaling

Quaye’s entrepreneurial journey began modestly. After returning to Ghana from studying accounting and finance in the UK, he noticed neighbors coming to his door for small loans. “They were asking me to support them with small cash—$100, $200—and I saw an opportunity there,” he says. “[I thought],why don’t I set up a company that will be in the business of giving credit to these people?” He launched Quick Credit, lending out the little money he had on hand, one loan at a time. 

Fifteen years later, what began as a one-man operation has grown into a financial ecosystem that not only provides credit to small business owners but also invests in promising Ghanaian entrepreneurs through Quick Angels Limited. The impact is tangible—businesses have expanded, jobs have been created, and entire communities have benefited.

But Quaye’s vision extends beyond profit. His Food Bank initiative, which I had the opportunity to visit during my reporting trip to Ghana, feeds hundreds of people each day—free of charge—while supporting local food vendors.

“Food was a luxury when I was growing up,” he says. “I have been having a crisis of my conscience because I have almost everything any human being could want, and I watch other people in my country struggling to even have one square meal.”

For Quaye, the Food Bank is about more than charity—it’s a strategy to reduce hunger-related crime and restore dignity. “We need to be each other’s keeper,” he said. “If you are in the position to help, you must help. Sometimes when people are hungry, they commit petty crimes, and before you realize it, they may have committed a crime that will affect you or somebody close to you.

The Case for Investing in Ghana

Ghana has become one of the most attractive destinations for African diaspora investment, and Quaye is adamant that now is the time for Black Americans to take part. 

“Everywhere that you have an abundance of problems, you have an abundance of opportunities because business is about solving societal problems,” he explained. “The market is green and ready, and there are a lot of opportunities here. If I have been able to do it and done it as a young person, everybody can also come do the same and even do way more than I have done. 

The Ghanaian government has made it easier for foreigners, particularly African Americans, to invest by reducing capital requirements and promoting policies like the “Year of Return” in 2019 and “Beyond the Return,” a 10-year-long initiative. Quaye sees this as a call to action. “If we care about the youth of Africa, then it’s not about donations or charity,” he said. “We should come and invest here and create businesses and jobs.”

Building Bridges for the Diaspora

While Quaye is investing in the business ecosystem, Atlanta native and Kumasi-based community builder Nzingha Samuel-Owusu is investing in infrastructure—social, cultural, and literal—for the diaspora. She is a serial social entrepreneur who has founded an ecosystem dedicated to intentional living development that aims to make repatriation sustainable for Black Americans.

“We’re bringing leaders of industry from the U.S. to Ghana, seeing what tools they need to properly establish themselves there, and how we can lessen the barriers of entry so that they can reestablish their business lines and still earn money,” she tells BET. 

Nzingha also works to correct misconceptions about Ghana. 

“The first myth is that everything is super cheap, and then people over-negotiate to the point where it becomes disrespectful,” she says. Another challenge: visitors who want the “Detty December” party experience but skip meaningful engagement with the culture. “I wish they could add a little bit more and make it a comma, not a period. Yes, party—and volunteer, invest, build relationships.” 

Her next major undertaking is to purchase acres of land in Kumasi and build a community designed with “green zone” principles—health access, natural food systems, and cultural education—that offer diaspora families a more grounded, holistic life. “For African Americans, it is much more of a spiritual journey and choice than a financial one,” she said. “Your nervous system calms down, you breathe differently, and you connect at a different level.”

A Shared Vision for the Future

Both Quaye and Samuel-Owusu believe that business must serve as a tool for nation-building. For Quaye, that means continuing to invest in small business owners and committing 90% of his future wealth to his foundation. “When you invest in one Ghanaian and we create a business, that business will end up employing thousands of people,” he said. “When you invest in an individual, you are investing in the entire nation.”

Samuel-Owusu is focused on preparing the ground—literally—for the next wave of African American repatriates. 

“We are now activating,” she said. “We’re bringing brilliant leaders of industry over there to see what they need to establish their roots in Ghana without having to split their time.” 

Together, their efforts demonstrate that Ghana’s business ecosystem is evolving into something more ambitious: a blueprint for economic empowerment, cultural restoration, and freedom that transcends borders.