About Edwin
Development economist, engineer and executive. Economics, institutions, strategy and execution.
The story
Dr. Edwin Alfred Nii Obodai Provencal trained as an electrical engineer at KNUST and went on to earn an MBA, an MPhil in Economics and a PhD in Development Economics from the University of Ghana.
He spent two decades building and running telecommunications businesses in Ghana: the Ghana Telecom contact centre, Vodafone Ghana's customer care, strategy and wholesale arms, and the National Communications Backbone Company, which carried the government's e-government network and linked Ghana's internet exchanges.
After serving as Technical Advisor to the Minister of Energy, he was Managing Director of BOST Energies from September 2019 to February 2025. He now leads Provencal & Associates, advising on strategy execution, governance and performance.
Alongside his executive work he taught Management Information Systems on Central University's MBA programme for nearly a decade, and he remains a regular speaker to students and professionals on leadership and execution.
Expertise
- Strategy execution with the Balanced Scorecard
- Corporate governance and board leadership
- Performance management in public and private companies
- Energy economics and downstream petroleum
- Telecommunications and digital infrastructure
- Project and programme management
- Executive coaching
Career
Most recent first.
- Jan 2025 to present
Founder and Principal Consultant
Provencal & Associates (Gh) Limited
- Sep 2019 to Feb 2025
Managing Director
BOST Energies (Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company), Accra
Led the state's bulk fuel storage and transport company; BOST won nine industry awards in 2022 and 2023.
- Aug 2018 to Sep 2019
Technical Advisor to the Minister of Energy
Ministry of Energy, Ghana
- Oct 2015 to Aug 2018
Executive Director
ePESEWA Dot Com Ltd, a financial technology company
- Feb 2013 to Aug 2018
Founder and Managing Partner
Provencal & Associates (Gh) Ltd
Advised on development economics, strategy execution with the Balanced Scorecard, performance management, customer experience and project management.
- Jan 2012 to Feb 2013
Head of Glo1, wholesale and enterprise
Globacom Ghana
Ran Globacom's wholesale and enterprise business in Ghana.
- Oct 2011 to Nov 2011
Managing Director
Vodafone Wholesale, a subsidiary of Vodafone Ghana
- Feb 2011 to Oct 2011
Head, Strategy and Planning
Vodafone Ghana
Led Vodafone Ghana's long-range plan and introduced the Balanced Scorecard.
- Jul 2009 to Feb 2011
Managing Director
National Communications Backbone Company, a subsidiary of Vodafone Ghana
Built the backbone for the government's e-government programme, extended it to give Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso a backup link at Sankanse, and connected Ghana's two internet exchanges to Google's Ghana cache server.
- Aug 2008 to Jul 2009
Chief Officer, Customer Care
Vodafone Ghana
Ran customer experience at the Ghana Telecom and Vodafone contact centre, the largest in Ghana.
- May 2006 to Aug 2008
Chief Officer
exZeed, a Ghana Telecom subsidiary
Grew the contact-centre business and brokered Ghana's first local contact-centre contract, worth US$3 million.
- Sep 2004 to May 2006
General Manager, Back Office
exZeed, Ghana Telecom contact centre
- Jul 2002 to Aug 2004
Business Development Manager
K-Net Limited
- 2001 to 2010
Adjunct Lecturer, MBA Management Information Systems
Central University College, Ghana
Education
PhD, Development Economics (2017 to 2023)
University of Ghana
MPhil, Economics (2015 to 2016)
University of Ghana
Board Director Diploma, corporate governance
IMD Business School
ACPEC, Personal and Executive Coaching (2007 to 2008)
College of Executive Coaching, California
MBA, Information Systems (2000 to 2002)
University of Ghana
BSc, Electrical Engineering (1992 to 1997)
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi
Secondary education
Accra Academy
Certificates
Driving Sustainability from the Boardroom
IMD · 2024
Finance for Boards
IMD · 2024
AI for Everyone
DeepLearning.AI · 2024
Strategy Governance for Boards
IMD · 2023
Team Dynamics for Boards
IMD · 2023
Driving Corporate Performance
Harvard Business School · 2022
High Performance Boards Program
IMD · 2022
Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage
Infocus International · 2021
Diploma in Financial Management
ACCA
Balanced Scorecard Certified Graduate
Balanced Scorecard Institute
What people say
"One of the most valuable leadership lessons I learnt from Edwin was this: don't burn bridges. I watched how he related with clients, former clients, stakeholders and even people he no longer had a business relationship with. That lesson has stayed with me."
Jumoke LafenwaOkin Value Ltd. His MIS student at Central University in 2007, later a consultant to him for several years.
Awards
6 personal honours, including the State Honour of the Grand Medal (2024), and 9 awards for BOST Energies under his leadership.