UPDATED

Former Deputy General Secretary of the Kristo Asafo Mission, Kwaku Boateng Agyenim, has lamented Ghana’s failure to fully recognise the technological vision of the late Apostle Emeritus Professor Ing. Kwadwo Safo Kantanka, whose ambition was to position the country as a hub of African innovation.

Mr Agyenim’s reflections coincided with what would have been the 45th Annual Technology Exhibition of the Kristo Asafo Mission on December 28, 2025, a milestone that now underscores the absence of “Africa’s Technology Man.”

In his tribute, Mr Agyenim recalled Kantanka’s frustration with national leadership, who he felt did not support his efforts to modernise education and promote locally developed technologies.

At the 44th annual exhibition, Kantanka unveiled inventions including an electric car, drones, and an alcohol electronic detection device aimed at reducing road accidents.

He expressed disappointment that many dismissed his innovations, questioning his knowledge due to language barriers.

According to Mr Agyenim, the Akwamuhene Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, Special Guest of Honour at the exhibition, praised Kantanka’s dedication, noting that his inventions had elevated Ghana’s profile globally.

He urged the government and Ghanaians to preserve and support Kantanka’s legacy.

In an article written as a special tribute to the late Apostle Kwadwo Safo Kantanka and copied to GhanaWeb, Mr Agyenim highlighted the inventor’s concern that a lack of collaboration from investors and leaders prevented some of his innovations from benefiting the nation.

“Even devices like the alcohol detection system could have generated significant revenue and saved lives,” he said.

Read His Full Article Below;

IN MEMORY OF APOSTLE KWADWO SAFO KANTANKA

By Kwaku Boateng Agyenim

Sunday, 28th December, 2025 would have marked the 45th Annual Technology Exhibition of the Kristo Asafo Mission, led by its Founder and Leader, Apostle Emeritus Prof. Ing. Kwadwo Safo Kantanka. During this exhibition, dignitaries invited to witness the technological prowess of Kantanka are always shocked to see new inventions but the church’s exhibition which has continued for 44 years will not be able to come off in 2025. This is an indication that: Africa’s Technology Man Has Indeed Gone To Eternity. Kantanka, May Your Soul Rest in Perfect Peace.



If Kantanka was alive, and the exhibition was held, representatives of the government would be there to commend and also give the government assurance and willingness to support him but to me, all that Kantanka wanted was to make Ghana the beacon of hope for Africa but sadly, this vision was not recognized by the leadership of our dear nation. The reason stems from the startling speech he made during his last 44th annual exhibition held at Apostle Safo School of Arts and Sciences (ASSAS) in Awoshie, Accra where he displayed two drones and an electric car he manufactured among an array of his inventions.



“When I speak on the need to change the country’s education curriculum to be practical oriented and use our own dialect to teach, we will benefit a lot, they say I know nothing and are unable to speak English. If I am unknowledgeable, how could I manufacture these machines which one needs critical thinking and calculations to?”, Kantanka said.



The statement Kantanka delivered touched the heart of Akwamuhene, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III. Therefore, when Odeneho was addressing the gathering at the exhibition as the Special Guest of Honour, he commended Kantanka for demonstrating his love for Ghana through his technological inventions. He said the inventions Apostle Emeritus Prof. Ing. Kwadwo Safo Kantanka manufactures have indeed lifted the name of Ghana across the globe but Ghanaians have not recognized how valuable he is and the kind of person he is. He indicated that for the Apostle to be able to manufacture an electric car is indeed an achievement and even if he is not in the world, his name will forever be remembered as a Ghanaian and an African who has indeed excelled in science and technology.

“Kantanka has indeed delivered on his vision and mission. Everything he wanted to do, he has done them. What remains is for Ghanaians to support him. Governments upon Governments have attended his annual technology exhibition and made big promises to support him but all their promises have been in vain. I am, therefore, making a passionate appeal to the government and the people of Ghana to support him so that his legacies will be preserved for mother Ghana”, Odeneho said.

If you think critically on the statement Kantanka made, one will come to the conclusion that the failure of our leaders to collaborate with him to promote some of his inventions has been his pain and I totally agree with him. In his 38th Annual Technological Exhibition in 2018, Kantanka manufactured an “alcohol electronic detection device”. The reason for inventing this device was to reduce many road traffic accidents. “If I hear human lives are lost, people get injured and even become incapacitated and properties are damaged as a result of a drunken driver’s negligence, I become very sad hence I made that device to reduce some of these human errors in road traffic accidents. If this technology is adopted and installed in our buses and cars, it could reduce many road traffic accidents that are attributed to human error but the leaderships of this country have failed to appreciate it. If the leaders of our country have such a mentality and put aside what will help the nation to develop, then, the nation cannot go anywhere in development”, Kantanka said

The “alcohol electronic detection device” when installed in a car would detect the breath of alcohol in the driver and a “voice technology” would speak to the driver thus, “you have taken alcohol, want to drive me and kill passengers. I can only be driven by a driver who has not drunk any alcohol, therefore, alight from the car because I will not move”. When the driver hears this message and refuses to get out of the car, the engine of the car ceases automatically. If that same driver who had drunk an alcohol has not changed, the car engine would not start.

This is the concern and frustration of Kantanka, the Star of Africa, who God gifted to our nation, Ghana and Africa to assist in its socio-economic development through his technological inventions. Even if any investor had approached him and expressed his interest to collaborate with him and produce this “alcohol electronic detection device”, wouldn’t Kantanka be happy? Can’t this device alone give Ghana enough revenue than even cocoa? Now that Kantanka is gone, are we Ghanaians going to pray to God again and ask Him for another redeemer? If God, even gives us another man, will we believe in that person? Will we listen and support him? Kantanka, you have gone but your legacy, words of wisdom, divine power you used to create a river, raise some people who died back to life and protect your loved country, Ghana, will forever be remembered. You will forever be in my heart as God in human form.



Long live the precious legacies of Kantanka