Ghanaian entrepreneur and television personality Deloris Frimpong Manso, popularly known as Delay, shared her journey to success At the Geisha National Women’s Summit & Expo 7.0 on March 7, 2025.

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Reflecting on her 17-year career in the media industry, she opened up about the struggles she encountered while trying to establish herself.

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Delay recalled that during her early years, fluency in English was the norm for rising broadcasters. However, she was more confident speaking Twi, which made it challenging for people to embrace her unique style.

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Despite these obstacles, she persevered, using strategic efforts to carve out a space for herself in the industry and ultimately build a strong personal brand.

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Speaking at the International Women’s Day event themed "Accelerate Action: Overcoming Barriers to Growth of Women in Business & MSMEs" at the Grand Arena, she said, “The time I came on television, about 17 years ago, was an era where everyone was speaking English, the likes of Caroline Sampson and others. Those who spoke Twi were mostly older personalities like Maame Dokono.

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“I was in my early twenties, so coming on TV for the first time and hosting an entertainment show in Akan was something new to people, and they struggled to understand it. Plus, the Twi I spoke wasn’t the usual Twi, it was indigenous Twi from Nkawkaw. People kept asking, who is this girl? what kind of language is she speaking? And the type of questions I asked shocked everyone, so they struggled to accept me.”

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Delay also spoke about her business ventures. She revealed that she started her sardine business with just one container of products, which she stored in her rented apartment along with a few provisions for sale.

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“When I started my food business about twelve years ago, I have said this before, I imported just one container of mackerel. I didn’t have a warehouse, so I kept it in my rented house. I was living in a two-bedroom apartment, or chamber and hall, and I stored some in my kitchen.”

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However, she proudly stated that she now owns a manufacturing company in the country.

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She further shared that her primary source of motivation to succeed was poverty.

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“Poverty was my motivation. When you are poor, your family members will reject you. Nobody wants to associate with you, everyone will abandon you.”

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