Year In Review: High profile deaths of 2022

It was a year that started with many people, including all of the names and personalities you will read about shortly, but as of the time of writing this article, not everyone who made the list into 2022 still walks the surface of this earth.

More directly, this GhanaWeb article takes a look back at some of the deaths of some prominent people in the country that happened in the year in review, 2022.

From as recent as the past month to the start of the year, this article focuses on the news of all such personalities and the details available on how and when they died.

The list begins with the death of GhanaWeb’s commercial manager, Ekow Blankson.



Ekow Blankson:

It was a Monday morning, the 3rd day of October 2022, when the shocking news of the sudden passing of GhanaWeb’s Commercial Manager, Ekow Blankson, spread through the newswires.

He was 50 years.

In the official statement by GhanaWeb to announce the death, the country’s leading website wrote that:

It is with great sadness that the AfricaWeb Group, GhanaWeb and Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Ghana Ltd. (ADPU) announce the death of our friend, colleague and commercial manager Ekow Blankson. Ekow died early morning on Monday, October 3, 2022, at a hospital in Tema surrounded by his wife and close relatives. He was 50 years old.

Ekow Blankson was a management member of the AfricaWeb group and a key driving force behind the company’s commercial activities in Ghana. Recently, he led the company to present our products and services at the 2022 Ghana Bloggers Summit where he had been his usual ebullient and energetic self.

He had time for everyone and was always engaged and interested in the people he met. In addition, he had a great intellect and was forever learning new things and developing new ideas. He brought those personal qualities (not to mention his vast experience in business) to the company and we owe him a great debt.

He left behind his wife, Justina Naadu Blankson, and children; our thoughts and condolences go out to them. They too have been part of the AfricaWeb family, and we will continue to support them through this difficult time.

About Ekow Blankson

Ekow Blankson was the Commercial Manager of Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Ghana Ltd. (ADPU) where he brought his 22 years of experience gained across various business fields. Ekow Blankson managed the expansive growth of the digital business as well as identified areas within the organization that can be commercially expanded and developed in the digital world. He managed the sales and marketing teams of GhanaWeb as well as all AfricaWeb subsidiaries.

Ekow Blankson worked with four multinational companies, including Ghana Breweries Limited, a subsidiary of Heineken; Coca-Cola; Vodafone, and WaterHealth International, in various leadership roles. He also worked with media companies including TV Africa, Media General Ghana Limited, and Multimedia Broadcasting Company as Managing Director, Director of Brands and Corporate Communications and General Manager (Luv FM and Nhyira FM) respectively. He was also the Director of Strategy and Corporate Communications at the conglomerate Groupe Ideal.

Ekow Blankson had a Master's Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Ghana, Legon; a marketing certificate from Heineken University, Amsterdam; and a Diploma in Theatre Arts (Drama) from the University of Ghana, Legon. He also received years of training in various fields of marketing, sales, management and advertising. He is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG).

With a long career in acting, he was awarded Best Male Actor International nomination at the 2022 NELAS AWARDS UK; Best Adult Male Role GH Student's Awards 2022; and nominated for Best Actor at the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) and Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2010 Ghana Movie Awards. He directed and featured in several Ghanaian movies including Checkmate; Borga; In April; Black Earth Rising; Death After Birth and The Intruder among many others.



Prof Kwesi Botchwey:

On November 19, 2022, the news of the death of Ghana’s longest-serving Minister of Finance, Prof. Kwesi Botchwey, broke.

The 78-year-old passed away at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where he was said to have been receiving medical care, multiple reports said.

Prof. Kwesi Botchwey was a well-respected economist and governance expert who served during the military era of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), 1982–1991; and the constitutional period of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), 1992 to 1995.



Cardinal Richard Kuuia Baawobr:

GhanaWeb reported on November 27, 2022, on the death of Cardinal Richard Kuuia Baawobr, Bishop of the Upper West regional capital, Wa.

“Our confrere was taken by ambulance from the Generalate to the Gemelli Hospital at 5.45pm and we received the sad news at 6.25pm,” an official communication said.

In the middle of this month, the clergyman, who was officially head of the Roman Catholic Church in Africa, was discharged from Agostino Gemelli University Hospital/Policlinic.

He had been transferred to the facility for medical care on Saturday, 15th October 2022.

According to the Daily Graphic, Pope Francis called for prayers for the late Cardinal on August 27, after it came to his notice that Baawobr had been taken ill upon his arrival in Rome on official duties.

Joseph Saaka Akati:

A former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Saaka Akati, died on Tuesday, December 13, 2022.

He was a former MP for Bole-Bamboi.

Akati won the Bole-Bamboi seat with 11,452 votes in 2008, succeeding John Dramani Mahama.

Mr Akati was survived by seven children.



AB Crentsil:

Alfred Benjamin Crentsil, better known as AB Crentsil, a Ghanaian Highlife legend, died on July 13, 2022.

He was 79-years-old.

The death of the celebrated singer was confirmed by sounds engineer, Fred Kyei Mensah, better known as Fredyma, in a Facebook post.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, Fredyma intimated that the veteran singer had been sick for some time now.

With over two decades of experience in the music business, A.B Crentsil proved himself as a consummate performer with a repertoire of amazing hits to his credit.

He also won several Excellence Awards including the Fontomfrom Evergreen Award, which is a special honor bestowed upon a musician with 15-20 years of continuous music experience.

While in middle school, he learned how to play the guitar. AB became proficient in playing the guitar and started singing along when playing the guitar. He joined the Strollers Band and played with the El Dorados, Sweet Talks, and finally the Ahenfo Band.

He was married to Elizabeth and had seven children. He recently had a collaboration compilation CD with Obour, titled "The Best of the Lifes".

Crentsil and his wife Elizabeth have eight children.



John Ndebugre:

A former Member of Parliament for Zebilla, John Akparibo Ndebugre, was reported dead on Friday, May 6, 2022.

According to reports, the former Peoples National Convention (PNC) MP died at the age of 72, after a short illness.

He is said to have died at Zebilla in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region.

The former MP, who was a lawyer by profession, was married and had four children, the report added.



Emily Akuffo:

A former First Lady of Ghana, Mrs. Emily Akuffo, known widely as Sisi Ama Oduraa, died in her sleep on Friday, April 8, 2022.

She was the wife of the late President of Ghana, General FWK Akuffo and was First Lady from July 1, 1978, to June 4, 1979. She was a teacher by profession.

After the death of her husband, she spent the ensuing years in her hometown in Akropong away from the public eye.



Hajia Ramatu Aliu Mahama:

A day before Emily Akuffo died, the wife of Ghana’s late former vice president, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, was reported dead.

Hajia Ramatu Mahama was said to have died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

She died at the age of 70.

Hajia Ramatu is said to have passed away surrounded by her family and children.

Hajia Ramatu Mahama, fondly referred to as Neè Egala, had been fighting a heart-related sickness for over two years and had been to the United Kingdom for treatment.

Reports of her death emerged during her stay in London but was quickly debunked in a statement by her son, Farouk Mahama, who is the Member of Parliament for Yendi.



Mionlana Abdulai Mahamadu:

The Paramount Chief of the Mion Traditional Area in the Northern Region, Mionlana Abdulai Mahamadu’s shocking death was announced on Thursday, August 18, 2022.

The chief reportedly died after a short ailment.

He was the heir-apparent to the Yaa Naa.

Francis Kofi Okesu:

The Krachi East Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Francis Kofi Okesu, was found dead in a hotel in Kumasi, a news report of Monday, September 5, 2022, said.

The deceased, who also served as the Dean of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Oti Region, was found lifeless in a hotel room he had booked.

The police confirmed his death after the hotel staff informed them that the MCE had not been seen for the entire day on Sunday.

According to a Graphic.com report, the door of his room was forced open, and he was found naked in a supine position on his bed, and traces of spermatozoa spotted on his thighs.



Richard Akuoko Adiyah:

The Chief Executive Officer of the Produce Buying Marketing Company, Richard Akuoko Adiyah, was reported dead on Sunday, October 2, 2022.

Though initial details about his demise remained scanty, a myjoyonline.com report sighted by GhanaWeb indicated that Mr. Adiyah was found dead in his chair on Thursday, September 30, 2022, at his home.

As a consummate finance and international development executive, the late CEO also had a political history, having served as a Member of Parliament for Ahafo Ano North on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party from 2008 to 2012.

AE/BOG