Ken Ofori-Atta

Ken Ofori-Atta was the powerful and often polarising figure at the centre of Ghana's economy for eight years. As finance minister through both terms of the Akufo-Addo government, he steered the country through ambitious reforms and, later, a painful debt crisis.

Background

He was born on 7 November 1959 in Kibi, in the Eastern Region, into a family steeped in public service; three of the Big Six who founded Ghana were relatives, and President Akufo-Addo is his cousin. He was educated at Columbia and Yale, and worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Salomon Brothers on Wall Street.

Databank

Returning to Ghana, he co-founded Databank, which grew into one of the country's leading financial services firms and made his name in business. He brought more than three decades of financial experience to public office.

Finance minister

He became finance minister in January 2017 and served until 2024, championing the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda and, in 2018, being named Africa Finance Minister of the Year by the World Bank. His later tenure was dominated by mounting public debt, an IMF programme and a domestic debt restructuring that drew intense criticism.

Standing

Admired for his financial expertise and attacked for the economic hardship of his final years in office, Ken Ofori-Atta remains one of the most consequential and debated figures of the Akufo-Addo era.