When we speak of famous personalities associated with Ghana, the name of Kofi Annan, the 7th UN Secretary-General, is undoubtedly one of the first ones to come to mind. A Nobel Laureate, Annan has been involved in several humanitarian projects and has won several awards including the Kora All Africa Music Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. The 20th century historian and civil rights activist, William Edward Burghardt "W. E. B." Du Bois, is another personality who had deep connections with the Ghanaian soil even though he was not born in the nation. Ghana, whose population comprises dozens of native ethnic groups, has a rich tradition in music and dance with each ethnic group having its own traditional dances to mark different occasions. Music in Ghana has now evolved to include internationally loved genres like hip hop and rapper Reggie Rockstone and emerged as "the Godfather of Hiplife". Hiplife, a musical style that fuses highlife and hip hop, has gained popularity across the world in countries like the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Germany. Ghana has also produced notable sportsmen like Tony Yeboah, Michael Essien, Kevin-Prince Boateng, and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu. Read on to discover about the life and works of famous Ghanaians.
This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.
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Birthdate: February 23, 1868
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States
Died: August 27, 1963
W. E. B. Du Bois was an American civil rights activist, sociologist, and Pan-Africanist. Du Bois played an instrumental role in fighting for full civil rights for people of color around the world. A co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Du Bois also played an important role as the leader of the Niagara Movement.
Birthdate: April 8, 1938
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Kumasi, Ghana
Died: August 18, 2018
Ghanaian diplomat Kofi Annan served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. He was the founder and chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation and a co-recipient of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. During his stint with the UN, he launched the UN Global Compact and worked to combat HIV/AIDS.
Birthdate: September 21, 1909
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Nkroful
Died: April 27, 1972
Kwame Nkrumah was a Ghanaian revolutionary and politician. He played an important role in the independence of the Gold Coast in 1957, after which he served as the first prime minister of Ghana from 1957 to 1960 and then as the first president of Ghana from 1960 to 1966. He also played an influential role as an advocate of Pan-Africanism.
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Birthdate: September 7, 1968
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Born in Ghana, Marcel Desailly first gained attention after moving to the Olympique de Marseille and winning the UEFA Champions League. He then gained fame with AC Milan and Chelsea, and was part of the 1998 World Cup-winning French squad. A BBC Sport pundit post-retirement, he also represents UNICEF.
Birthdate: August 14, 1981
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Kumasi, Ghana
Ghanaian-American wrestler Kofi Kingston plays for the WWE brand Raw. He was initially known as Kofi Nahaje Kingston and used his Jamaican identity in the wrestling circuit, but later began to be billed from Ghana. The 13-time Tag Team Champion has also won the Intercontinental and U.S. championships.
Birthdate: October 1, 1987
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: London, England
Birthdate: December 3, 1982
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Accra
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Birthdate: June 2, 1989
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Tema, Ghana
Freddy Adu is an American soccer player who was touted as the next Pelé when he was 14 years old. However, he did not live up to the expectations and has since been a journeyman, playing for several teams in different countries. He currently plays for Österlen FF, a Swedish Division 1 club. He has also represented his national team.
Birthdate: November 5, 1964
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Kyebi, Ghana
Birthdate: November 28, 1972
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Ghana
Known as The African King of Comedy, the Ghanaian-Liberian-American comedian Michael Blackson considers Eddie Murphy one of his greatest inspirations. An encounter with Ice Cube at The Comedy Store, turned Blackson’s future around. He is also known for his hit films Next Friday and Meet the Blacks.
Birthdate: December 17, 1989
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Seclin, France
Birthdate: August 27, 1959
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Chiraa, Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana
Birthdate: November 22, 1985
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Accra
Birthdate: December 11, 1958
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Stratford, London, England, UK
Born to a Ghanaian father and an Irish mother, Chris Hughton became the first biracial footballer from Ireland. Mostly known for his stint with Tottenham Hotspur as a player, he later also coached the team. He was part of the FA Cup- and UEFA Cup-winning squads of Tottenham.
Birthdate: August 27, 1984
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Konongo, Ghana
Birthdate: December 30, 1966
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Ghana
Birthdate: May 29, 1989
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: July 10, 1985
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tema, Ghana
Birthdate: September 14, 1986
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Accra
Ghanaian-British rapper Kwasi Esono Danquah III is better known as Tinchy Stryder, "Tinchy" being an indication of his short frame and "Stryder" indicating a game he played as a child. Famous for his album Star in the Hood, he also owns an apparel range of the same name.
Birthdate: September 7, 1950
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Kumasi, Gold Coast (now Ghana)
Birthdate: September 22, 1980
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Cantonments, Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: December 5, 1983
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Birthdate: August 11, 1985
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: July 19, 1958
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: April 18, 1919
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: South Dayi District, Ghana
Died: February 8, 2002
Ghanaian businesswoman Esther Afua Ocloo, better known as the founder of Women’s World Banking, had stepped into the world of business with less than a dollar. She initially sold marmalade in Ghana and then moved to England to learn food processing, eventually turning into a microlending pioneer.
Birthdate: December 23, 1992
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Birthdate: 1840 AD
Birthplace: Besease
Died: October 17, 1920
The Queen Mother of the Ashanti Empire, or modern-day Ghana, Yaa Asantewaa is remembered for leading her country against the British in the War of the Golden Stool. The war began when a British representative sat on the Golden Stool, considered a sacred emblem of the Ashanti people.
Birthdate: August 1, 1977
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: March 7, 1952
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Accra, Gold Coast (British colony) Gold Coast
Birthdate: July 21, 1944
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tarkwa, Ghana
Died: July 24, 2012
Birthdate: October 10, 1987
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Ghana
Birthdate: March 14, 1993
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: 1989 AD
Birthplace: Mampong, Ghana
Birthdate: November 29, 1958
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Damongo
John Dramani Mahama is a Ghanaian politician who served as the president of Ghana from July 2012 to January 2017. He was previously the vice president of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012. He is the first head of state of Ghana to have been born after Ghana's independence. He is a staunch campaigner for sustainability.
Birthdate: August 18, 1993
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
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Bello FiGo(Rapper who is widely known for his Belle FiGo YouTube channel's content)
Birthdate: August 4, 1992
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: March 29, 1944
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: 1967 AD
Birthplace: Buduburam, Ghana
Birthdate: November 12, 1985
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: 1980 AD
Birthplace: Pakistan
Birthdate: January 10, 1992
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kumasi
Birthdate: December 9, 1988
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kumasi
Birthdate: July 4, 1994
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New York, United States
Birthdate: July 2, 1994
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Tamale, Ghana
Birthdate: June 22, 1947
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Died: November 12, 2020
Jerry Rawlings led Ghana as the head of state and the president. An army pilot, he first came to power in 1979, after a coup. Though he was sentenced to death for plotting against General Fred Akuffo, he managed to escape. He had also formed the National Democratic Congress.
Birthdate: March 3, 1986
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: July 2, 2001
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Ghana
Birthdate: October 6, 1977
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Accra, Ghana
Birthdate: November 18, 1962
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Ayirebi, Ghana
Birthdate: 0000 AD
Birthplace: Jomoro, Ghana
Died: 1719 AD