Ghanaian music icon and entrepreneur Charles Nii Armah Mensah, popularly known as Shatta Wale, has challenged students of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and transform their ideas, talents and skills into sustainable enterprises. He delivered the message on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, during the third day of the UPSA 1000 & Ghana Entrepreneurship Conference 2026.
Addressing students and other participants, Shatta Wale emphasised that meaningful transformation begins with the mind. He encouraged the students to develop what he described as the “Shatta mind”—a mindset grounded in vision, resilience, discipline, continuous learning and the determination to translate ideas into tangible results.
“Everything begins in the mind and later manifests in reality. Everything around us was once an idea,” he said, urging young people to train their minds to recognise opportunities and develop solutions to challenges within their communities.
Drawing on his journey in music and entrepreneurship, Shatta Wale recounted how he deliberately envisioned and built his identity before becoming an internationally recognised artiste. He encouraged students to leverage the internet and digital platforms to develop brands and businesses capable of competing beyond Ghana.
“Shatta Wale was my first start-up. I said to myself, ‘If I can build Shatta Wale, what else can I build?’” he stated.
He also underscored the importance of financial discipline and reinvesting in one’s enterprise. “Money must have an assignment. Any money I made from the studio went back into the studio. Business money is business money, and investment money is investment money,” he explained.
A notable moment during the engagement occurred when a UPSA alumna and entrepreneur presented her yoghurt drink to Shatta Wale and proposed a collaboration. Impressed by her confidence and initiative, the artiste agreed to work with her, providing a practical demonstration of the boldness and opportunity-seeking mindset promoted throughout the conference.
The Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, Prof. John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, explained that the decision to invite Shatta Wale was deliberate, as his journey offered valuable lessons in resilience, brand development, self-belief and enterprise.
“Where you come from does not have to determine where you are going. Your starting point is not your destination,” Prof. Mawutor said, urging students to view challenges as opportunities for innovation and value creation.
The Vice-Chancellor also commended Shatta Wale for donating 10 laptops to be presented to some of the University’s best graduating students and for providing sponsorship support towards the UPSA 1000 Enterprise Development Programme. The artiste further pledged to headline the UPSA SRC Week celebrations over the next two years.
The five-day conference, organised by UPSA in partnership with the Bola Ray Institute, forms part of the University’s broader commitment to equipping students with practical entrepreneurial knowledge, market-ready skills and the confidence to become innovators, entrepreneurs and job creators.
