CITP Spotlight: Emmanuel Asafo Adjei, Owner of E.A.T. Tigernuts Co.

Emmanuel Asafo Adjei’s career in international trade has been an evolution. After earning a post-graduate degree in International Business from Fanshawe College, he worked for seven years as operations coordinator for a Canadian Military Defense contractor. To further grow his career, he went on to earn his Master’s of Geography from the University of Western Ontario.

Like many, Emmanuel was faced with new challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While working as an engineer, he was charged with coordinating global supply chains, a task that required fostering new business relationships. That role led him to sharpen and improve his international trade skills.

Working with and leading teams to seal international trade deals

Throughout his career, Emmanuel has worked with colleagues and trade partners to open supply chains and improve processes. He has collaborated with highly trained engineers and supply chain experts on the acquisition and distribution of Canadian government military assets around the globe. He’s also led a state-of-art materials requirement planning system (MRP) to enhance just-in-time production processes.

“It has always been refreshing to negotiate international deals with the knowledge of Incoterms,” he noted.

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Celebrating accomplished trade deals and improved processes

In his work in international trade, Emmanuel has seen many successes. They include managing more than $100 million in inventory assets in one of southwestern Ontario’s largest warehouse facilities, facilitating and auditing shipping documents while ensuring that shipments met international standards, and building quality control and international trade databases that reduced audit time and paperwork by more than 80 percent. He also led the consolidation of two mega warehouses into a 500,000-square-foot facility without significantly impacting workflow during the three-month process.

In his latest venture, Emmanuel is working on farming the superfood tiger nuts in Africa for import into Canada. He’s packaging and distributing the superfood into niche food stores in Canada and the United States.

Through his career and FITT studies, Emmanuel has also learned the importance of perseverance:

“Never give up on any goal you set for yourself. There may be challenges, but they all pass away and give way to your success eventually. One of my proudest moments was getting my FITT diploma after leaving it for almost a decade.”

Gaining a better understanding of imports and exports

With his FITT coursework, Emmanuel earned a deeper understanding of the nuances of food imports, packaging, and distribution in Canada and the United States—knowledge that has proved extremely valuable as the owner of a food import business. FITTskills have helped him better understand importing goods, working with Canadian customs, the Canada Food Inspection Agency, Canada Revenue Authority, Port Authority, and import brokers.

Broadening perspectives on new markets

Emmanuel’s FITTskills courses—such as the International Trade Finance course—gave him insight into working with global clients, suppliers, and customers, along with expanding his global literacy and inter-cultural awareness. They’ve also helped him see future opportunities in trade.

“I chose the  CITP designation to consolidate my skills sets in international business and to be an asset to companies that may want to expand into developing markets, especially in Africa.”

“My motivation has broadened to include the many growth opportunities with Africa’s 1.3 billion-person market, now one of the largest free-trade areas in the world. With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement signed by its 55 countries—and the projected $2.2 trillion GDP—Canada cannot ignore this huge market.”

Manage your cash flow and mitigate financial risk by selecting appropriate transaction methods and tools for international trade activities with the FITTskills International Trade Finance Course.

The power of great teachers and courses

Emmanuel was lucky to learn about the CITP designation through a call with two of his Fanshawe college professors: Albert Knab and Morgan Murray.

“They both sowed the seed of grit and perseverance in me as an immigrant,” he noted, stating that they were an important part of spurring him to push full steam ahead with his courses and his career.

With so much accomplished already, we can’t wait to see what’s in store for Emmanuel next!

About the author

Author: Jennifer Nesbitt

Jennifer Nesbitt is a New York-based freelance copywriter. A former journalist and graduate of Penn State University, Jennifer now writes about a variety of topics, including business, technology and marketing. She is passionate about helping companies develop their brands by providing compelling copy that adds value to their online presence. View all posts by Jennifer Nesbitt