Top Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs in Ghana

Marcopolis ranked the top business leaders and entrepreneurs in Ghana. The ranking is based on an executive survey with the top businessmen as part of the business report on Ghana. Businessmen Osei Kwame Despite, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Kevin Okyere and Kwabena Darko are leading the list.

The research team asked the interviewees, who they thought were the five top business personalities in Ghana. The interviewees anonymously nominated a total of 15 leaders.

Out of the 15 personalities nominated by our interviewees, 10 leaders were a common vote amongst them, with 5 of the top businessmen standing out from the group and emerging as the leading business figures in Ghana.

The List

#1 – Dr. Osei Kwame Despite is the owner of Despite Company Ltd, which is a trading company with subsidiaries in the media industry namely, Peace FM which is the largest and most poplular FM station in Ghana, Okay FM and Neat FM in Accra, as well as Hello FM in Kumasi. Despite also set up Neat Foods Ltd to process local plantain, cocoyam, maize and palm fruits. He also owns a manufacturing company, Antona Foods Ltd, and is a Co-Founder of a salt mining company, U2 Salt, which is located at Winneba. Furthermore, Dr. Osei Kwame Despite co-founded United Television (UTV), which is a leading TV station in the country, and is the Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of Best Point Savings and Loans Ltd, a renowned financial institution in Ghana.

#2 – Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is a Ghanaian politician and business tycoon who represents Assin Central in Parliament for the New Patriotic Party. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 2000 to the seat of Assin North. He retained his seat in the 2004 and 2008 parliamenary elections. In 2012 he was elected in the new seat of Assin Central and was re-elected in 2016. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong owns a number of companies, including: Oman FM, Ash FM, Net 2 TV, air conditioners dealer Super Care Company Ltd, Mina D’oro Ventures, M/S Imperial World Business Ltd and Gold Coin Communication.

#3 – Kevin Okyere is a Ghanaian entrepreneur in the oil industry in Ghana. He is the Founder and CEO of Springfield Energy, a billion dollar oil company. The company was founded in 2008. Okyere’s company was given the block, known as West Cape Three Points Block 2, by Ghana’s government in 2016 after it was relinquished by Kosmos. Also, the company is the leader in exporting refined products to land-lock neighbouring countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso and Nigerian’s crude. He was awarded at the 2019 Emy Africa Awards as “Man of the Year” for the Oil and Gas category.

#4 – Dr. Kwabena Darko is an entrepreneur, minister of religion and former politician. He owns the largest privately owned agro-industrial concern in Ghana and is listed in “Who’s Who in World Poultry”. Darko is also known by many in the sub-region as the “Poultry King”. He started the poultry farm, Darko Farms and Company, in April 1967. Darko has also served as a Director of the Bank of Ghana, the nation’s central bank, and was chair of Opportunity International’s Global Network from 1997 to 1998. Furthermore, he founded and presides over a 600-member Christian church in Kumasi, Ghana.

#5 – Kwabena Kesse is a successful entrepreneur and businessman with over 20 years’ experience in group management. He is the CEO of the Kessben Group of Companies, an umbrella for a number of registered companies: Kessben Travel and Tours, Kessben Driving School, Kessben Computer School, Kessben Shipping and Forwarding Ltd, Fosua Hotel & Conference Centre, Kessben University College, Kessben Consult, Kessben Foundation and Kessben FM Ltd. He also owns majority shares in Multi Credit Savings and Loans Ltd.

#6 – Daniel McKorley is a Ghanaian business magnate, Founder and CEO of McDan Group of Companies. He is a graduate of Business Management and has been a business entrepreneur for more than ten years. McKorley was adjudged the “Entrepreneur of the Year 2016” at the Ghana Aviation Awards. He started the McDan Shipping Company in 1999. The company is headquartered in Accra and has branches in Tema and Takoradi. McDan Shipping Company has a presence in over 2,000 major air and sea ports worldwide, due to partnerships with Universal Freight Organization, Cross Trades and World Cargo Alliance (WCA).

#7 – Nana Kwame Bediako is a Ghanaian businessman, real-estate entrepreneur and philanthropist. He founded the Kwarleyz Group, an industrial conglomerate with interests in construction, real estate and property development, hotels and telecommunications. Kwarleyz Group is an umbrella company encapsulating brands such as Wonda World Estates, Petronia City Development (a 2,000 acre master-planned city development in Ghana), New Africa Construction, and Belfast City & Property Management. Bediako also sits on the Board of Sujimoto Construction in Nigeria, and serves as the Chairman of the New Africa Foundation.

#8 – Kwasi Twum is the Founder and CEO of Multimedia Group, best known for bringing the first privately owned radio broadcaster (Joy FM) to Ghana. Twum is a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative of the Aspen Institute, an Executive Council Member of the Ghana Employers’ Association, and immediate past President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters’ Association. He is also a member of the Board of SOS Children’s Villages, Ghana. In 2010, he was honored by the Ghana Journalists Association for his contribution to the growth of the media, and in 2012, by PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ as the Sixth Most Respected CEO in the country. He was previously the Executive Chairman of Ridgecrest Services Limited.

#9 – Dr. Kwaku Oteng owns a chain of businesses in Ghana’s herbal medicines, broadcasting, beverages and transport industries. He also is known as a philanthropist who funded scholarships for needy students over the years. In 2001, he made his mark on the business world with Angel Herbal Products Industry, which started a transformation in the herbal medicine sector. Following this success, he went on to establish Angel Group of Companies. The group has under its umbrella Angel Broadcasting Services Ltd, Angel Transport and Trading Ltd, Angel Estate and Construction Ltd, Angel Natural Mineral Water and Adonko Bitters Ltd.

#10 – Nik Amarteifio is a Ghanaian entrepreneur with interest in media and other industries like mining, real estate, oil and gas. He is the Founder and CEO of Omini Media, the owners of the Citi FM and Citi TV franchise. Amarteifio is a prolific investor who has invested in diverse industries and held Executive Board positions in International Gold Resources, Magnesium Alloy Company Ltd and African Selection Company. Amarteifio was also the Marketing Manager of Nestle Ghana, and served as a member on the Ghana Investors Advisory Council, an advisory board formed to advise former President John Kufuor on foreign direct investment strategies. He also served as the lead Director on the board of Bank Of Ghana from 2001 to 2008.

Our interviewees considered a number of Ghanaians, however chose their nominees based on their influence and power in the country. Their innovation, inspiration, wide-range endeavors, and philanthropy have been recognized by the business world. Their strong work ethic and genuine impact on the Ghanaian people have landed them on the list of Marcopolis’ top businessmen in the country.