Following reports of the divorce between Ghanaian business mogul Richard Nii Armah Quaye and his ex-wife, Joana Coffie, documents filed at the Dansoman High Court detailing how the couple met in Senior High School and built their journey to success have surfaced online.

Recently, Richard Nii Armah Quaye and Joana Coffie have become the subject of discussions on social media after details of their divorce became public.

GhanaWeb has sighted parts of the petition filed by Joana Coffie during the divorce proceedings at the Dansoman High Court.

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According to the documents, Joana Coffie detailed how they fell in love after completing Senior High School in 2002 and how they both ventured into petty jobs to make ends meet.

Per the documents, Joana worked at Makola as a shop attendant in a textile boutique, while Richard worked at his mother’s drinking bar.

“... From somewhere in 2002, when they both completed senior secondary school, the petitioner tendered a picture of them taken in 2002 as Exhibit D without objection. It also means they were involved in a love relationship for several years before they finally tied the knot in 2010.

“... After their education, the petitioner worked at Makola as a shop attendant in a textile boutique, while the respondent worked at his mother’s drinking bar, preparing cocktails of local brews for sale,” part of the document stated.

The documents further revealed how the couple attempted to attend university together using the savings from their jobs.

However, after their first year, Joana Coffie had to drop out due to financial constraints.

After leaving school, she took up two jobs at a restaurant. The couple later opened a joint account with the then SG SSB bank, through which she saved her income.

They subsequently invested their savings in an investment product with Data Bank, which matured at about GH¢10,151.17 in 2018.

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“... The petitioner, after dropping out, worked at two fast-food restaurants as a cashier and was able to save most of her wages. The couple opened a joint account with S.G. S.S.B Ltd and later invested the funds in a product operated by Data Bank Ltd, which matured in 2018 with a value of GH¢10,151.17,” the document noted.

The documents also highlighted how Richard Nii Armah Quaye secured sponsorship to study abroad, with the couple using their investments to further their education in the United Kingdom.

According to the filing, after completing his studies abroad in 2009, Richard returned to Ghana unemployed, while Joana was working at the then Unibank Ltd as a temporary teller at the Kaneshie branch.

It further stated that Joana Coffie, using about GH¢3,000 she had saved, invested in a business idea pitched by Richard and his associate, which led to the establishment of Quick Credit Microfinance Company Limited, now Bills.

“... In the following year (2009), the respondent completed his studies and returned to Ghana unemployed. The petitioner was then working with Unibank Ltd as a temporary bulk teller at the Kaneshie branch.

“The respondent, together with a friend, Ankama, pitched a business idea to the petitioner and convinced her to invest. She withdrew nearly GH¢3,000 from her account and gave it to the respondent as start-up capital for the microfinance business,” the document added.

High Court ruling

The High Court awarded one-third of a house in Dansoman to Joana and two-thirds to Richard Nii Armah Quaye.

The court also granted Joana a lump sum of GH¢300,000 instead of the GH¢50 million she had sought.

Custody of their three children was awarded to her, while her ex-husband was granted visitation rights, including access during school vacations.

Joana Quaye, co-founder, shareholder, and director of Quick Credit Microfinance Company Limited (now Bills), had filed for the divorce settlement and requested that the court order her ex-husband to pay GH¢50 million.

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However, the presiding judge, Justice Kofi Dorgu, a Court of Appeal judge with additional High Court responsibilities, awarded her GH¢300,000 in the distribution of matrimonial property.

The Supreme Court has set clear guidelines for the distribution of marital property after divorce.

The judge reportedly stated that the GH¢300,000 award was intended, in part, to discourage divorces.

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