Kessben Group Founder Stephen Boateng Dies at 68

Stephen Kwabena Boateng, the Ghanaian businessman widely known as Kwabena Kesse or Kessben, has died at the age of 68.

Graphic Online reported on Thursday, August 20, that the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Kessben Group of Companies died following an illness.

Boateng, born on September 12, 1957, grew up at North Suntreso in Kumasi and went on to build one of the Ashanti Region’s most diversified privately owned business groups.

His death brings to a close a business career that stretched more than three decades and reached across media, education, finance, hospitality, travel, logistics and professional services.

From the classroom to business

Before becoming one of Kumasi’s best-known entrepreneurs, Boateng trained as a teacher and spent time in the classroom.

He would later recall that his entry into business began with the importation of used refrigerators and other electrical appliances.

What started as a trading operation gradually expanded as Boateng identified opportunities in other sectors.

Over the years, he established businesses including Kessben Travel and Tours, Kessben Driving School, Kessben Computer School, Kessben Shipping and Forwarding, Kessben Consult, Fosua Hotel and Conference Centre, Kessben Foundation and Kessben University College.

In a 2022 interview published by Kessben Media, Boateng said the group had grown to about 11 business units and employed approximately 3,000 people at the time.

Building a media institution in Kumasi

For many Ghanaians, particularly in the Ashanti Region, the Kessben name became most visible through broadcasting.

Boateng was the sole shareholder of Kessben FM Limited, the company behind Kessben FM, Kessben TV and Aseda TV.

Kessben FM was established in Kumasi in 2004 and became an influential part of the region’s radio landscape, covering news, politics, sports, entertainment and current affairs.

The group later expanded into television with Kessben TV and Aseda TV, both established in 2014. In 2021, Kessben Media extended its radio operations to the national capital with the launch of Kessben 92.9 FM in Accra.

The expansion made Boateng not simply a businessman but one of the important private media owners to emerge from Kumasi.

Education and finance

His interests extended well beyond broadcasting.

Boateng founded Kessben University College and served as its Chancellor. In 2015, the institution entered an academic affiliation with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to support programmes including business administration and information and communication technology.

He also held majority shares in Multi Credit Savings and Loans Ltd, extending his business interests into Ghana’s financial-services sector.

Even later in life, Boateng continued his education.

He held a first-class degree in Economics and Law as well as an MBA in Finance from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. In June 2022, he was called to the Ghana Bar, adding the legal profession to an already extensive career.

Philanthropy and public service

Beyond his companies, Boateng was known for philanthropy through initiatives associated with the Kessben Foundation and other charitable activities.

Following the 2022 explosion at Apiatse in Ghana’s Western Region, for example, he pledged GH¢50,000 worth of assistance, including food, mattresses, blankets and other relief items for affected residents.

He was also involved in peacebuilding efforts and served between 2004 and 2010 in work associated with Ghana’s National Peace Council and the United Nations Development Programme.

A Kumasi business legacy

Boateng belonged to a generation of Ghanaian entrepreneurs who built diversified businesses largely outside Accra and demonstrated the commercial influence of Kumasi.

His companies carried the Kessben name into classrooms, radio studios, television stations, hotels, financial services, logistics and travel.

But perhaps his most enduring legacy will be the institution he built around that name.

From a teacher who entered the import trade to the founder of a sprawling group of businesses employing thousands, Stephen Kwabena Boateng became one of the most recognisable figures in Kumasi’s modern business history.

He was 68.

Further details about funeral arrangements and the circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately available.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.