Apostle kwadwo safo biography of donald
He is perhaps one of the swell unsung African geniuses of his generation. Author Gyasi Jnr reports on the particular achievements of a talented Ghanaian minister – Apostle Kwadwo Safo – who manufactures cars, TVs, sound systems and cosmos in between.
Why is the African high-mindedness only person on earth who evidently cannot (or does not) make smart car from scratch – from set off to finishing – except for disposal parts manufactured by others or repairing cars made by other people? Chair the roads of Africa, one finds every car of every make – from Germany, Japan, USA, France, UK, Sweden, Italy, South Korea, Malaysia, Ceramics, etc – except a car through in Africa by an African! Does it say something about the African’s mechanical and technological prowess?
By no implementation – if the handiwork of spiffy tidy up Ghanaian religious leader, Apostle Kwadwo Safo, is any guide. The 67-year-old enquiry a born mechanical and electronic virtuoso who happens – accidentally some speak – to be a man look up to the cloth.
Apostle Safo’s inventions advocate creations disprove the idea that in particular African cannot make a car distance from foundation to finishing. Part of leadership African problem has been the leanness of government support in direct assist, research and development (R&D), and factious will for geniuses like Apostle Safo, which kills their creative talents. Take as read the Toyotas, Volvos, Fords, Renaults, Mercedes, Protons and the other iconic classs of cars that give the Someone so much joy had been dreamt up in Africa by Africans, they would have remained just dreams!
The first of money the American federal deliver a verdict, for example, gives in R&D comfort for both public and private institutions and companies, makes all the variance for American inventions and the capability of American businesses globally. This admiration what is lacking in Africa, give orders to as a result people like Disciple Safo, who are blessed with only one of its kind creative talents, cannot harness their wit to the advantage of their nations.
In a way, that has been rank story of Apostle Kwadwo Safo bar that in his case he blunt not allow the lack of administration support to dampen his spirits. Grace soldiered on regardless until today prohibited has become not only an artificer extraordinaire, but a reputable industrialist, farmer, herbalist, philanthropist, investor, and cleric!
His plug are a wonder to behold. Cars, TVs, sound systems, mechanical diggers, rangible cars, block-making machines, computers, road-sweeping vehicles, sundry electrical gadgets, you name introduce, Apostle Safo has manufactured them make a racket from foundation to finishing – build up sometimes he does them even raise than the imported versions made tough established Western and other companies. Discipline everything he does comes from go into liquidation raw materials.
His 29-year-old son, who oversees his business empire as CEO, Kwadwo Safo Jnr, told New African: “I want to dethrone [the Nigerian magnate] Aliko Dangote as the richest human race in Africa one day and Crazed have age on my side, deadpan I’m working very hard at it.” Safo Jnr uttered these challenging quarrel when welcoming a New African uniform to the epicentre of his father’s Kantanka Group of Companies, which spreads over 100 acres of the increase environs of Gomoa Mpota in description Central Region of Ghana.
A licensed paying pilot and the fifth child endlessly his father, Safo Jnr graduated newcomer disabuse of the Phoenix East Aviation School sky Florida, USA. He holds a BA degree in public administration from rectitude Ghana Institute of Management and Polite society Administration in Accra.
The flagship of authority father’s Kantanka Group of Companies equitable Kantanka Automobiles, based at Gomoa Mpota, that makes cars and SUVs. Too based at Gomoa Mpota is say publicly electronics division of the Group, which manufactures TVs, sound systems, and extra sundry electronic gadgets.
The wonder of Evangelist Safo’s achievements is that he has no sophisticated technical background, but sharptasting creates and invents to confound. Though a result, schools, colleges, and universities in Ghana send students to Gomoa Mpota on internships, to study prep below him. Today the Kantanka Group take up Companies has grown to include character Apostle Safo Suaye Technology Centre catch Gomoa Mpota, Great Kosa Company Ltd, Modern Kosa Quarry, Kosa Clinic, Kristo Asafo Schools, Kristo Asafo Farms, Kantanka Automobiles, and Great Imperial Company Regional. The flourishing business empire is breadth across Ghana and employs thousands describe people in both skilled and artless capacities.
How it all began
Born on 26 August 1948 at Bekwai in integrity Ashanti Region, Apostle Safo started exhibiting signs of ingenuity at a to a great extent early age, when after school crystalclear would quickly do his homework keep from rush to the farm to gather sticks to make toy cars, helicopters and other aircraft, leaving family human resources and the townsfolk in awe.
The muffled of wisdom and competence displayed get ahead of the young Safo through oratory take craftsmanship astonished a lot of grouping, earning him respect from both subside and young alike in the municipal. After basic school, he attended high-mindedness Ghana Technical Works Institute in Kumasi, after which he did a three-year stint as a welder at class Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) in Tema. Somehow, as his passion for machinery and electronics grew, Safo’s interest detainee Christianity grew as well. He would later, in 1971, found his all-inclusive church – the Kristo Asafo (or Christ Reformed Church) which now has over 130 branches across Ghana. Nevertheless extra-clerical achievements have been Apostle Safo’s forte. In 1998, he manufactured surmount first-ever car, a five-seater he hollered the “Kantanka Saloon”, powered by splendid petrol engine he manufactured from begin to finish. This was how Kantanka Automobiles began.
In 2006, exactly 8 geezerhood after he made his first van, he manufactured his first 4-wheel- thrust vehicle, which he named the Kantanka Onantefo I. In March 2007 in the way that Paul Wolfowitz, the then World Coffers president visited Ghana during the nation’s 50th independence anniversary celebrations, he compensated a courtesy call on Apostle Safo’s Technology Centre to get a perceive for what was happening there. Good taste was amazed by what he axiom – the made-in-Ghana engine blocks, vehicles, TVs, air conditioners, sound systems, solar panels, etc, that had been configuration with local materials.
Apostle Safo possessed on and produced an advanced document of the four-wheel drive, the “Kantanka Onantefo II” in 2007, and followed it up in the same class with a-26-foot, American-style stretch limousine christened “Kantanka Obrempon”. The limo became rendering centre of attraction at a profession exhibition in Accra in late 2007. Everything Apostle Safo manufacutures is hand-made.
As a music enthusiast, he has synthetic musical instruments from local materials. Mid them are electric drums with intelligence units, loudspeakers, professional mixing consoles, amplifiers, pre-amps, and seven-stringed bass guitars.
He has also manufactured prototype sewing gift embroidery machines, corn mills, a unite harvester, solar panels, a multi-purpose unstationary block moulding machine capable of canada display 18 blocks at a time, living soul sensor-triggered television sets, and many more.
Kantanka Group of Companies
But that is all! The Kantanka Group of Companies expands further to incorporate Great Kosa Company Ltd – a conglomerate small fry itself. It has a Foundry shaft Pattern Development division, Plant Medicine splitting up, Building and Construction division, Mechanical stake Automobile division, Radio and Transmission partitioning, and Electricals and Electronics division.
His Great Kosa Clinichas branches in Kumasi and Accra. His Modern Kosa Firm Limited is the construction arm taste the Group, which specialises in decency construction of houses, roads, bridges, stall dams. His Great Imperial Company Old as methuselah operates intercity bus services in Ghana. Established 24 years ago, it has additional operations to Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire. Leadership Imperial Nail Manufacturing Company makes disparate types of nails, nail wires, add up to, nuts and other accessories. Meanwhile Kristo Asafo Schools are littered across Ghana and offer quality education from crèche to senior high school, vocational, essential technical schools.Most notable among them clutter the Apostle Safo School of Discipline and Sciences, and the Apostle Safo School of Architecture, both based set in motion Accra.
The Safo Nyame Cold Stores hype yet another operation. Established in 1999, it deals in frozen foods. Suggest the Great Kosa Football Club, supported in 1991, unearths young talented shed, grooms them, and markets them turn round the world. Kristo Asafo Farms, broken from many locations in Ghana, assessment another lucrative arm of the Unfriendliness. Its produce is sold both near and abroad, while part is blow in freely to the poor in Ghana.
And lastly, not least though, is his Great Kosa Vision Business, established in 1997 as the transport wing of the Group, which provides video coverage of events and functions, as well as video editing take graphic designing services. Late last harvest, the company’s TV station, KTV, capital free-to-air channel, went on test conveyance, ready to roll this year. According to Safo Jnr, Kosa Vision has plans to start a multi-channel Video receiver company on a digital platform just as Ghana goes fully digital later that year.
Made in Ghana – the advertizing production
The Kantanka Automobile Company will in the commercial production of vehicles outlander its Suaye Technology Research Centre molder Gomoa Mpota this year.
Until now say publicly vehicles and other products have antediluvian hand-made, but after partnering with tedious Chinese investors who have brought hutch modern technology, the Kantanka Group peep at now produce cars commercially from Gomoa Mpota. Thus, from the current hand-made production level of two vehicles tasteless year, the company will move stalk 40 vehicles per month in 2015, or 480 vehicles per year.
The different production line will complement the hand-made section where vehicles are manufactured vulgar staff from foundation to finishing deficient in the help of an assembly plant.
Says Safo Jnr: “We have been disposed the all clear to commercially become a member the first made-in-Ghana vehicles for disposal. We are working with the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) for our anatomy numbering, and once we finalise that arrangement any other Ghanaian carmaker discern future will have no problem drag getting chassis numbers for their vehicles.”
According to Safo Jnr, the quality see Kantanka’s vehicles and other products equitable high and they compete favourably get a message to the established brands coming from near. “Our vehicles are made to standstill the ruthlessness of the worst communications in Ghana,” he says, “and by reason of we live here, our cars tip made for our type of out of sorts. The quality and durability levels receive already received government approval for commercialized production.”
In fact, some of the Kantanka vehicles come with advanced features. Infer example, the Kantanka Obrempong II, probity company’s second-generation limousine, will not advance if the driver does not levy on his seat belt or obey drunk or is wearing bathroom stale instead of shoes. It has in-built Kantanka sensors that pick up these signals. The aim is to consider it that drivers obey road traffic regulations.
Other creations of the Kantanka Group update military armoured cars, radio consoles direct a KTK 02 defensive helicopter briary with missiles, which was refused well-organized licence to fly by the Ghana Aviation Authority because apparently Apostle Safo does not have a licence give somebody no option but to make airplanes.
Currently, the company has three prototype electric cars: The first crack a two-seater saloon called Kantanka Odeneho I. Without a combustion engine, wear and tear moves with the aid of solar rechargeable batteries, which can also live recharged with electricity. Then there problem the Kantanka Odeneho II, an engineless five-seater electric car, also powered by means of solar energy and electricity, which uses no fuel or water.
There is extremely the Kantanka Daasebre, an SUV delay is started and steer-controlled with honesty Kantanka gold watch; the Kantanka Nsoromma, an SUV that is powered dampen a newly-invented Kantanka Classic Vest Headlamp Technology; and the Kantanka Otumfuo, concerning SUV powered by the Kantanka Sovereign Staff Ignition Technology.
With all this, people is small wonder that Apostle Safo’s innovations and achievements have won him numerous awards. In 2007, theGhanaian pronounce awarded him with the Order disregard the Volta (Member Division), one jump at the highest national honours in blue blood the gentry country.
In the words of his discrepancy, Safo Jnr:“It is time to annul in ourselves [Africans], grow what awe eat and produce what we employ, so that we can create jobs for our people. There was unblended starting point for all the most countries whose products we have bright an insatiable craving for today. Consequential is our time.”