By April 2025, at the latest, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly would have had a new Chief Executive Officer, and already, one dominant name is being linked to the vacant job; Henry Osei Akoto.
It follows only a day after President John Dramani Mahama, through his Executive Secretary, Dr. Callistus Mahama, announced the revocation of appointments of all Metropolitan, Municipal, District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in a letter dated January 8, 2025.
In that letter, it stated that “In accordance with the powers vested in H.E. John Mahama under the provisions of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) as amended by the Local Governance (Amendment) Act, 2017, (Act 940), the following appointments have been revoked effective today: 1. Chief Executives of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies. 2. Assembly Members appointed pursuant to the relevant sections of the Act. “In the interim, the respective Coordinating Directors of the various MMDAs are directed to assume responsibility as acting Chief Executives until substantive appointments are duly made. Kindly take note and act accordingly.”
But why is Henry Osei Akoto being linked to the vacant job? Who is he and what could he bring to the job?
He stated his career as a radio marketer in Kumasi around 1997 with Luv FM in Kumasi, before moving to Fox FM as its Promotions Assistant between 2000-2004.
From there, he worked at Hello FM for a month as Marketing Executive before he was poached by Kessben FM to serve as its Assistant Promotions Manager. While there, Henry Osei Akoto was studying for his first degree in integrated rural arts and industry at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
From Kessben, he joined Paramount Distilleries as Sales Manager and was later promoted to Sales and Marketing Manager. While at Kessben, Guinness Ghana Limited identified him and poached him to Accra to its Achimota office as Sponsor and Events Manager Ghana. He later got promoted to the position of Senior Brands Manager for Star and Gulder.
In 2009, Henry Osei Akoto joined Glo as its Branding Manager in Ghana. From there, he worked with Angel Estates and Construction in Kumasi as General Manager before he joined Citilink Airline as Senior Marketing Supervisor.
While he worked with the airline, Akoto contested as Assembly Member for the Bomso Electoral Area, which sent him to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly where he worked under Samuel Sarpong as its CEO, before later serving under KMA boss, Kojo Bonsu.
Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb, Henry Osei Akoto summed up what his work will focus on should he be considered for the job by President John Dramani Mahama.
“There were a lot of things we left off in 2016 that the Akufo-Addo government did not complete in Kumasi and that would be a priority. There is the need to open Kumasi up to the world and to other businesses. There is the need to get a good nightlife in Kumasi and fix the infrastructural gap in the city, as well as get investors to come in and invest in the Kumasi City,” he explained.
Source: Ghanaweb
