Choosing Public Service: Charity Yekple’s Journey to Turn Purpose into Impact

"I have this knowing," Charity says. "That my life is contributing to the bigger picture."

Charity came to EPL with that knowing already clear. What she needed was somewhere to put it to work.

She studied law. Over time, she realised she was drawn less to practising in the courtroom and more to shaping the systems behind it.

"I wanted to be where I could measure the impact of my work. Public policy was more impactful to me, as compared to litigation."

She discovered EPL, earned a place on the fellowship, and was matched with the economics unit. "I wondered if I'd be able to make the most of it. My field was law, not finance." Her supervisor at the Ministry shrugged the doubt off. He said, “The law is a support service for the work this Ministry does. If you are here, be part of the work.”

She is.

Today, when Charity reflects on her fellowship journey, she remembers her assignments in the Chief Director's office at Ghana's Ministry of Finance. One of the assignments she carried out: coordinating the Government of Ghana's response to the IMF's Governance Diagnostic Assessment Report. Key government institutions - the Ghana Revenue Authority, Financial Intelligence Center, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, the Judicial Service, and others -  submit their responses to Ghana's corruption vulnerabilities, as assessed by the IMF.

Charity's role in support of the Ministry’s mandate was to make sure those responses reflect the actual position of Ghana. "When external institutions assess us, our reporting helps them understand our context. When we take that role seriously, their assessments reflect Ghana’s true position." 

After her fellowship year, Charity remained at Ghana’s Ministry of Finance, where she now provides policy advisory on infrastructure.

In twenty years, she sees herself as Chief Economic Officer. The policy implementations she dreams of: a public transport system that doesn't run on small Toyota minibuses. A functioning multimodal transport system with e.g trains across regions. The kind of infrastructure her grandchildren will use and not even know to thank her for.

That knowing is deeply rooted in Charity’s life. She grew up in a family that served. Her father was a military officer. Her mother served as a veterinary extension officer, and they both encouraged a life of service. "Maybe that is where I picked it up."

EPL provides Charity with a pathway to live out her purpose through public service.