Interview by Lanem Law Kuma, Editor in Chief
As the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Managing Director of Mangel Klicks Limited—with operations across Botswana, Ghana, and Nigeria—Dr. Charles Kwamena Ackon has spent nearly two decades at the forefront of digital marketing, IT solutions, business consultancy, and corporate training. His extensive expertise has empowered countless businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals to excel in an ever-evolving digital economy.
Beyond his corporate accomplishments, Dr. Ackon is also a philanthropist, mentor, and staunch advocate for youth empowerment, dedicating significant time and resources to education, skills development, and community advancement. His leadership philosophy is anchored in innovation, integrity, and impact, positioning him not only as a successful entrepreneur but also as a role model for Africa’s next generation of business leaders.
In this special edition, The New Africa Magazine Editor-in-Chief Lanem Law Kuma has the privilege of uncovering powerful insights from Dr. Ackon’s remarkable journey—his challenges, triumphs, and bold vision for the future.
As the CEO of Mangel Klicks Limited, what key leadership principles guide your decision-making in the fast-evolving healthcare and digital marketing industry?
I uphold and believe in the principles of hard work, empowerment, quality, compassion, and purposeful mission. Quality, Excellence, Integrity, Compassion, and Empathy—QEICE—are the cornerstones of Mangel Klicks, which is the framework upon which I operate. Additionally, as we internationally improve and strengthen health systems, provide the best total cost of ownership for medical devices, tools, gadgets, and appliances, offer digital health, interventional, invasive, and non-invasive healthcare solutions, and take professional biomedical steps to bridge infrastructure gaps, we are improving the lives of our fellow humans. In the end, we help restore patient safety and health, as well as provide therapy and support for emergency care in hospitals and other health facilities. My decision-making is based on personal motivation, knowledge, cutting-edge access to communal health issues as we focus on “Enriching Lives Together.” My decision-making is also rooted in professional calling, driven by innovation, and focused on people. In a rapidly changing digital world, staying grounded in purpose and flexible in approaches to healthcare is essential and dynamic for change management.
What unique strategies do you employ to navigate the different business landscapes in Ghana, Nigeria, and Botswana?
Every market is unique. In Ghana, we rely on the goodwill of our employees and clients, as well as our solid and expanding public-private relationships, to achieve performance and reliability; in Nigeria, we will soon emphasize quality partnerships, job delivery, and speed of execution; and in Botswana, we seek to increase the relevance of telemedicine, biomedical installations, and health systems while strengthening and enshrining trust and quality to solidify our sustainability. Value strategy prioritization and localized customized-based execution will grow so as to provide tangible and efficient outcomes.
What would you say has been the most pivotal moment in your entrepreneurial journey, and how did it shape Mangel Klicks’ growth?
The moment I made the qualitative leadership decision to confront an attempt by a supplier for supply substandard product, and my resolve on an important business concern that would have had a detrimental impact on our company or even led to its closure. Thus, the decision to shift from entirely product sales management organization to service provision, solutions development, quality healthcare initiatives and capacity building offerings; that moment when we moved from executing briefs to building proprietary platforms and create niche concepts reshaped our brand and expanded our voice, image and value (VIV) in the marketplace.
How does Mangel Klicks stay ahead of competitors in such a dynamic industry?
By staying obsessed with our clients’ success. We constantly invest in upskilling, embrace automation, and keep our teams exposed to global trends. Innovation is our culture, not a department. We are working on the business concept of “Enriching Lives Together.”
Despite the prevailing challenges facing the sector such as lack of draft policy on medical devices that regulate quality standards in specifications and procurement in many countries, there are still some challenges hindering the full potential of Integrated Healthcare Systems, Pharma Sector and the Biomedical engineering industry, such as the cost of doing business, late arrival of procured goods, inconsistency and insufficiency in capital investment, exchange rate fluctuations, inadequate sector-specific expertise and underperforming employees, low colLabouration between academia and industry on production.
Another key challenge is the limited infrastructure and regulatory frameworks to support biomedical companies. “We have the ideas, we have the talent, but the support systems need improvement. There are challenges to navigate the regulatory process for medical devices in Africa, and these delay us in getting life-saving technology into hospitals. Let me also emphasize the importance of government intervention, particularly in terms of policy reforms that would make it easier for biomedical firms to access funds and resources. This will be a great motivation. The reliance on imports for critical medical equipment is another issue.
Hopefully we can start assembling devices as we are advocating for more investment in locally manufactured devices to reduce costs and ensure sustainability and appropriate measures to address these; low number of industries with biomedical engineering focus, low advocacy for biomedical competencies (now growing), few medical exhibitions and fairs for new and ultramodern healthcare innovations and technologies and so on.
The success story of Mangel Klicks in the biomedical engineering sector serves as evidence of what is possible when people and organizations colLabourate qualitatively, share and integrate knowledge, and pursue excellence. As Africa continues to develop its healthcare systems, the role of biomedical engineering is becoming increasingly critical. With companies like Mangel Klicks leading the charge, there is optimism that countries can address both its healthcare and technological challenges through locally driven innovative solutions.
What advice would you give to SMEs looking to leverage their opportunities for growth?
Start small if necessary but start smart and apply the PET Factor. Define your goals, understand your market, clients and staff, and use analytics and prudent decisions to guide every move. Remember this—digital marketing isn’t a buzzword, it’s a mindset shift in this generation.
What emerging digital trends do you believe will redefine marketing in Africa over the next five years?
AI-powered personalization, voice search, vernacular content, and mobile-first marketing will take center stage. Africa is mobile led, so brands must adapt to consumer behavior, not the other way around.
Click the link below to read more about his inspiring journey from Page 10 of our May-July 2025 Edition and explore his full profile on how he is shaping Africa’s future from his corner:
https://thenewafricamagazine.com/flipbook/the-new-africa-magazine-may-june-2025/
