Founder of the shoemaking brand Horseman, Tonyi Senayah, said the business is built on a mission to give artisans meaningful employment and challenge the stigma that vocational trades are for those who cannot continue formal education.
Senayah told JoyNews’ Personality Profile on Friday, October 30, that his interest in developing people surfaced toward the end of his studies at the University of Ghana. He explained that he had once dreamed of becoming a pilot, but his growing desire to help people unlock their potential led him to pursue a career that combined craft with human development.
As he approached graduation, he applied to several international NGOs working in human development. When entrepreneurship presented itself in the form of shoemaking, he saw it as a natural extension of his ambition: “When the entrepreneurship started and it happened to be shoes, working with artisans, it wasn’t so far off. It was still a calling to help shape and develop people, create opportunities for people who had learned the skill of shoemaking and craft in general,” he said.
Senayah highlighted that many people enter trades such as shoemaking, sewing, mechanics and carpentry not because they chose those paths, but because they were unable to continue formal schooling. He argued that the circumstances that lead someone into a trade should not dictate how society values that person or their work.
His goal is to offer artisans more fulfilling employment while shifting public attitudes toward technical and vocational occupations. “The ambition is not simply to provide work for people who have practical skills but also to help them see greater value in their craft and in the contribution they can make to society,” he added.
Senayah’s vision for Horseman extends beyond producing footwear; it is about creating opportunities for skilled workers and demonstrating that practical skills can build fulfilling careers that contribute meaningfully to the economy.
He concluded that developing people and creating opportunities for skilled workers remain central to the purpose that shaped his journey into entrepreneurship.
