Anthony Kwofie is a serial entrepreneur with ventures in both digital and traditional industries. He is the founder of HeavyDealers, an AI-powered marketplace that is transforming the heavy equipment rental industry across Africa with smart, efficient, and transparent leasing solutions. He also leads Heagle Group, an end-to-end provider of heavy equipment rentals and heavy haulage services serving the construction, agriculture, mining, and energy sectors.
How would you describe your job to a 5-year-old?
Imagine there are large trucks and machines that help build roads, mines, and massive buildings. However, people often struggle to find them when they need them. What I do is build a tool that helps them find these machines fast and safely, just like how you use Google to search for cartoons. Except this time, it’s worth billions of dollars.
For adults, HeavyDealers is building Africa’s first digital platform for heavy equipment rentals. We are streamlining access, financing, and reliability for an industry that runs on informal phone calls and paperwork. We are creating the digital infrastructure for the machines behind Africa’s development.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned since launching your startup?
Honestly, how radically different the tech world is from traditional business. The level of intentional structure, speed of iteration, and product-focused execution was an eye-opener. However, what surprised me most is how powerful it could be if other sectors, especially those I have worked in (traditional industries), adopted some of these methods. Tech doesn’t just disrupt. It disciplines.
What’s one function or area of your job you spend the most time on?
Currently, it’s a period of intense brainstorming and collaboration with my team, clients, and local stakeholders. We’re not building a vanity app. We’re building something that needs to work at the construction site, at the mine, in real time. Every feedback, every insight counts.
What are three trends in your sector you’re bullish on and why?
- Fragmentation. It’s a big problem and a big opportunity. The industry is too scattered. Solving that unlocks massive value.
- Infrastructure boom. Africa’s development will be equipment-intensive. Whoever builds the rails to access those machines wins.
- Smart capital. Investors are gradually becoming aware of the industrial technology opportunity in Africa. The space is wide open.
What gaps should startups in Ghana be building for?
- Public sector systems. There’s too much manual inefficiency.
- Healthcare infrastructure and data. Not just clinics. Patient access and digital records, too.
- Local language digital products. From fintech to e-learning. Deutsch, Twi, Ewe, Hausa. There’s a massive untapped user base.
If you were to build a new company, who would you appoint to your board and why?
Sam Altman. He’s not just building AI. He’s building the rails for the future of intelligence. In a world where knowledge is compounding at lightning speed, I want someone on my board who not only sees the future but is creating it. People like that don’t just build companies. They build worlds.
About the Author
Staff Reporter
Staff writer at Ghana Innovation Journal covering innovation, technology and entrepreneurship across Ghana and Africa.