In the heart of Accra, on the historic Ring Road, where a great deal of Ghana’s political story was written, Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong (KAA) is set to unveil his national campaign office, a magnificent edifice symbolising not just a political ambition, but the return of a man whose life epitomises Service, Sacrifice and Selflessness.
These are not mere words on a campaign poster; they are the lived reality of a man who has carried the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on his back through some of its toughest battles.
Today, as the NPP faces its most daunting test in decades; internal cracks, growing public disaffection and the need for a unifier to rally the base, KAA stands as the most charismatic, visionary and selfless candidate ready to rebuild the Party and reconnect it with its soul.
KAA’s life story is not the tale of a pampered political aristocrat. The story of his childhood was marked by tragedy, yet shaped by Resilience.
It is the story of resilience carved through pain. One of his favourite scriptures is Job 23:10 which says; “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
Here is KAA, standing strong with deep insight and wisdom, willingly yielding to the call to fix a broken party just to deliver prosperity for all Ghanaians through a leadership that so empathises with every heartbeat of the Ghanaian.
In 1982, tragedy struck when his father, the distinguished High Court Judge, Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong, was abducted and brutally murdered along with three others, in the infamous June 30 killings.
For a young man still in university, that was enough to break the spirit of anyone. But not KAA. He mourned, indeed, but was never left broken in perpetuity. He went back to his Civil Engineering studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) with renewed grit, determined to live up to his father’s legacy of service to Ghana.
It is interesting to note that he took consolation as a Sports broadcaster, who learned Leadership in the trenches. All who know and have followed KAA well, understand that aside his journeying in diplomatic circles, his love for sports, particularly Asante Kotoko, Liverpool and Boxing, is not some mere entertainment; it has been his training ground for leadership.
As Chairman of Kotoko Supporters Union (Circle 48, KNUST), KAA learned how to mobilise people, raise funds and unite factions under one goal: victory for Kotoko by all means!
He fondly recalls mobilising supporters to man the gates during African Cup matches in 1982, where he mobilised his colleague students to man the gates at the Kumasi Sports Stadium, thereby increasing match revenue for his beloved Asante Kotoko.
That experience shaped his appreciation for grassroots work; you cannot lead people if you have not stood with them under the scorching sun, fighting for something bigger than yourself.
And who can forget the humour in his Liverpool obsession? Even during his Contract Management courses in school, he scribbled Liverpool’s legendary 1986 Double-Winning Team in his notebook, a gesture that served proof that passion and duty can co-exist.
A very down to earth lover of the partying night life at KNUST, he also organised boxing nights to revive an old Mfantsipim tradition.
These anecdotes may sound light-hearted, but they reveal a man who knows how to bring people together through shared love and excitement; a unifying trait the NPP desperately needs.
In the Trenches and in the Strongroom – The Living Pillar of the NPP’s Legacy
KAA’s political baptism of fire came early. He positioned himself as a courageous voice under JJ Rawlings! As a young sports journalist and pundit at Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), he took a bold stand against the Rawlings regime, subtly but firmly campaigning for democratic change at a time when many feared even whispering NPP slogans.
Imagine a young man still grieving his father, a victim of political brutality, yet refusing to be silenced! That courage did not just make him a respected broadcaster; it cemented his reputation as a man who values truth over convenience.
Yet another remarkable addition to his rich experience is the fact that KAA devoted himself as a young Party activist who helped to build the NPP from the scratch. When the NPP was formed in 1992, he was not a distant supporter; he was in the trenches.
He joined the Young Executives Forum (YEF), contributing cash, strategy and mobilisation of various resources. He was part of the group that helped finance the first NPP party office in Kokomlemle, Accra.
In 1994 he was among the first to represent the NPP on the newly created Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) of the EC.
In 1996 KAA served as a member of the National Campaign Committee under the Chairmanship of Alhaji Issaka Inusah. In 1998, he played a leading role in Akufo-Addo’s presidential primaries campaign and by 2000, he was in the ‘Strongroom’ of the EC, safeguarding J.A. Kufuor’s votes. He had the singular honour of putting in the phone call from the EC ‘Strongroom’ to Candidate J.A. Kufuor’s West Airport residence, to break the news of his victory.
His commitment was honoured when President Kufuor appointed him Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman in 2001, a role he executed with tact and excellence, earning Ghana so much respect on the international stage.
From the White House to the African Union, from the G8 Summits in Savannah, Georgia USA and Gleneagles, Scotland, to key diplomatic missions, KAA was the young disciplined, articulate face of Ghana to the world. His calm yet firm demeanour made him stand out as a professional among political communicators.
The General Secretary Who Paid the Price for Principle
In 2014, NPP delegates massively elected KAA as General Secretary. His election was seen as a return of principled, organisational leadership to the Party. But internal shenanigans cut short his tenure; in December 2015, he was suspended indefinitely.
Yet, here is where KAA’s character shines brightest; he did not abandon the NPP. Despite this setback, KAA organised financial resources to support over 100 distressed constituencies.
When the party needed him most to win back disaffected party faithful, KAA returned in 2020, taking a leave from his role as Executive Director of the Ghana Institution of Engineering, at the request of President Akufo-Addo to help win re-election.
How many politicians would set aside personal grievances for the greater good of their party? That is KAA, Service before Self.
Story by Veteran Journalist, Ken Bediako
