Denis Opudo
Francis Duahn started his life under the good care of his parents in Liberia. His mother worked at a mining company which made them live a stable life. However, in 1989, things changed all over sudden. There was a severe clash in the country. The conflict started when Charles Taylor attempted to overthrow the president, Samuel Doe. President Doe responded by attacking all the tribes who supported Taylor.
The war made him run for safety in several refugee camps in Western Africa. The condition at these camps was very pathetic. They sometimes lacked food and medication among other essential human needs. He then moved to a refugee camp in Guinea where his luck begun. Francis together with his younger brother qualified to move to Canada through the support of UN agent. He landed into a farm laborer job where he earned $6.50 per hour.
Duahn secured an opportunity to advance his education. He attended ESL classes, obtained his GED and finally graduated from college. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor degree in international business.
In Canada, it was very hard for a refugee to secure a well-paying job. This made Duahn venture into entrepreneurship. He thought of a business idea that will create an impact in the lives of refugees in Africa. This was when the idea of Kwado came to his mind. He launched Kwado in 2017. The platform helps in connecting refugees in West Africa with the potential employers. The web-based startup enables the employers to get qualified staffs. It also exposes job seekers to job vacancies available in their respective regions.
The development of this idea and website creation made him enter into a partnership. The partners include Medina Dehatee and Richelle Matthews. Other partners were William Akoto and Professor Robert Schulz.
Professor Robert Schulz described Duahn as a very outgoing, dynamic and passionate student. He mentored him and supported his idea into a lucrative enterprise today. Duahn and his partners conducted a pilot test in Ghana. The test helps the immigrants to secure jobs at the construction companies in Ghana. Mr. Duahn’s goal is to make a change in his society through Kwado enterprise.
