The late Professor Kofi Blay, father of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Gas Company, Judith Adjobah Blay, was laid to rest on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at Esiama in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.

Prof Kofi Blay passed away on Monday, March 9, 2026, after a short illness at the age of 86.

He left behind his wife, Rosemond Blay, and two daughters: Judith Adjobah Blay, CEO of Ghana National Gas Company, and Dr. Yaba Blay, a lecturer in African Studies.

His burial service was held at Star of the Sea Cathedral in Takoradi. The final funeral rites took place at the Takoradi Sports Club, followed by a Thanksgiving Service at Star of the Sea Cathedral on Sunday, May 17, 2026.

Professor Kofi Blay was a committed Christian and worshipped with the Roman Catholic Church. During his lifetime, he was known for his dedication to education, community service, and his faith. Family, friends, and well-wishers from across Ghana and beyond gathered to pay their last respects.



Paying tribute to her father, Judith Adjobah Blay, CEO of the Ghana National Gas Company, described him as a brilliant man.



“He was a man of brilliant mind and strong conviction, full of life, full of light and full of lessons. He was gifted with a charm and a smile that drew people to him. He was deeply admired, respected and loved. He will not be forgotten.”



The Member of Parliament for Ellembelle Constituency, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, described Professor Kofi Blay as a true Ghanaian who gave great service to the country.



He urged the youth of Ellembelle to learn from the life and example of the late Professor.



The burial and funeral rites of the late Professor Kofi Blay saw high-profile personalities from across government, industry, and traditional leadership gather at Star of the Sea Cathedral to pay their last respects.



Among them were Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, former Attorney General and Minister for Justice and current Legal Advisor to President John Dramani Mahama; John Jinapor, Minister for Energy and Green Transition; and Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and MP for Ellembelle. Also present were former Ghana Gas CEOs Dr. Sipa Yankey and Dr. Ben Asante, the CEO of the National Petroleum Authority Godwin Kudzo Tameklo, and GNPC Foundation CEO Helga Boadi.



The rest included the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako; former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and former MP for Ellembelle, Freddie Blay; MP for Awutu Senya West, Gizella Tetteh; MP for Evalue-Ajomoro Gwira, Kofi Arko Nokoe; MP for Sekondi, Blay Nyamenle; former Tourism Minister and former Sekondi MP, Andrew Egyapa Mercer; and NDC Western Regional Chairman, Nana Toku. Chiefs and Queen Mothers from the Western Region were also in attendance, among other dignitaries.



SHORT PROFILE OF PROFESSOR KOFI BLAY



Professor Kofi Blay was born in Esiama, Ellembelle District, Western Region, on March 16, 1940.



Prof Kofi Blay was married to three women.



He had his primary education at Benin in the Jomoro Municipality, and his secondary education at St. John’s Secondary School in Sekondi.



He earned his first degree in Sociology from the University of Ghana, and later pursued his doctorate in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin.



Prof Blay dedicated over four decades to education as a lecturer in the United States from 1970 to 2014.



He was an active member of both St. Claver Catholic Church in Esiama and Star of the Sea Cathedral in Takoradi, where he served as a Youth Patron.