The Lebanese Houses of Ghana: Dynasties That Shaped a Nation’s Economy

By: Kofi Amamoo

The story of Ghana’s private sector cannot be told without the Lebanese. From the late 19th century through the 20th century, families who fled famine and hardship in Lebanon arrived on the shores of the Gold Coast with nothing but ambition. They came as traders and shopkeepers, but over generations, they built empires that would shape Ghana’s modern economy.

Before the Dynasties: The First Lebanese in GhanaLong before the Azars arrived in 1919, the Lebanese presence in Ghana had already begun. The very first recorded Lebanese migrant, Melhem Shbib, landed on the shores of the Gold Coast in 1884. He was part of a wave of movement that followed famine, economic collapse, and political instability in Ottoman-era Lebanon, which forced many young men to seek livelihoods abroad.

These early Lebanese came with little—some with only the clothes on their backs—but they carried an entrepreneurial spirit. Many started as hawkers, selling trinkets, cloth, and household goods door to door. Unlike the European merchants, who confined themselves to urban centers and wholesale trade, the Lebanese ventured deep into villages and hinterlands, often walking for miles with goods strapped to their backs.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, families such as the Shbibs, Fattals, Kalmonis, Ashkars, Fakhrys, and Dakmaks had followed. They created a network of small shops that serviced Ghanaians neglected by colonial trade structures. A key part of their success was their willingness to extend credit to African traders, something European firms largely refused to do.

By the time Joseph Azar set up shop in Accra in 1919, there was already a modest but growing Lebanese community. They had built reputations as middlemen traders—bridging the gap between European importers and Ghanaian retailers. They were not yet industrialists or magnates, but they had laid the foundation of what would become the Lebanese dynasties of Ghana.

Their story begins not in skyscrapers or factories, but in dusty markets and roadside stalls—humble migrants who chose to stay when others only passed through, turning exile into legacy.

The Azars: From Paint to Nation BuildingIn 1919, a young man named Joseph Azar arrived in Accra. He began as a small hardware trader, but quickly distinguished himself by learning Twi, extending credit to Ghanaian shopkeepers, and building trust in a market dominated by colonial companies. By the 1940s, his shop, Joseph Azar & Sons, had become the largest hardware supplier in the Gold Coast.

In 1968, the Azars shifted from trading to manufacturing, founding Azar Chemical Industries and merging with City Paints Supply. From their factories on Spintex Road, they began producing paints that became a fixture across Ghana. Azar Paints coated schools, offices, hospitals, and homes, offering the nation something more than color—it offered self-reliance.

Through coups, economic downturns, and regime changes, the Azars endured. By 2019, the group marked its centenary in Ghana, employing over 600 people. Their story is proof that Lebanese families became more than merchants—they became builders of Ghana’s industrial future.

The Kalmonis: Driving Ghana ForwardWhile the Azars were painting walls, the Kalmonis were putting Ghana on wheels. Arriving in the early 20th century as traders, the family soon saw a gap in Ghana’s transport market. In the 1960s, they founded Japan Motors, securing rights to distribute Nissan vehicles. Affordable, durable, and suited to Ghana’s rough roads, Nissans became taxis, pickups, and family cars.

The Kalmonis expanded with Silver Star Auto, bringing Mercedes-Benz to Ghana, and later launched Lakeside Estates, one of the capital’s most ambitious residential developments. From cars to housing, the Kalmoni name became synonymous with progress.

They survived coups, import restrictions, and recessions by relying on strong family governance. By the 2000s, they were pillars of Ghana’s automotive and real estate sectors. Today, Nissan taxis, Mercedes-Benz sedans, and suburban estates are all part of their enduring legacy.

The Fattals: The Merchants Who Never LeftIf the Azars gave Ghana its colors and the Kalmonis gave it motion, the Fattals ensured its markets never ran dry. From their early days as textile and goods traders, the Fattals built networks across Ghana that outlasted governments and crises.

They thrived on trust. In an economy where cash was scarce, they extended credit to Ghanaian shopkeepers, becoming indispensable partners. Traders in Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi knew that the Fattals would keep them stocked, even in lean times.

During the turbulence of the 1970s and 80s, when multinationals fled Ghana, the Fattals stayed. They adapted to shortages, leaned on Lebanese family networks, and continued supplying goods. Their dynasty was not built on visible factories or flashy brands, but on the invisible power of loyalty, credit, and relationships.

The Dakmaks: Builders of Steel and ConcreteSome Lebanese families built businesses you could see in shops and showrooms. The Dakmaks built things you could stand on. Starting as traders, they moved into the construction sector by the mid-20th century, importing and distributing cement, steel, and building materials.

When Ghana gained independence, the Dakmaks were there with the supplies to build schools, offices, and hospitals. When Accra expanded, they provided the raw materials that made its skyline possible. Later, they moved into real estate themselves, developing projects across the city.

Their business was not glamorous, but it was essential. In every foundation, every wall, every high-rise beam, there is a trace of the Dakmak legacy. They turned exile into permanence, leaving a legacy written in concrete and steel.

The Ashkars: Retail, Real Estate, and ReinventionThe Ashkars represent another Lebanese trait: adaptability. They began as small shopkeepers in early Accra, supplying textiles and imported goods. Over time, they pivoted again and again—into wholesale, into consumer goods, and finally into real estate.

When markets shifted, they shifted too. When retail slowed, they invested in property. As Ghana’s cities expanded, they developed residential and commercial projects. Unlike other dynasties tied to one sector, the Ashkars thrived by refusing to be fixed in one place.

Their story is not about one empire, but about many reinventions. Each pivot kept them relevant, each adjustment ensured survival. They are a family built not on permanence, but on resilience.

Legacy and BelongingThe Lebanese presence in Ghana is more than business—it is about identity. For generations, Lebanese-Ghanaians have lived in the paradox of being insiders in commerce but outsiders in politics. Many were born in Ghana, speak Twi and Ga fluently, and consider the country their only home. Yet for decades, citizenship laws excluded them, and suspicion followed their success.

Still, they endured. They invested when others fled, employed thousands, built schools, funded hospitals, and donated to national causes. From Azar Paints to Nissan pickups, from market goods to skyscrapers, their fingerprints are everywhere in Ghana’s economy.

The Lebanese dynasties of Ghana are a reminder that belonging is not always inherited—it is built. Through grit, adaptability, and vision, families like the Azars, Kalmonis, Fattals, Dakmaks, and Ashkars turned migration into legacy. They arrived as strangers. They stayed as builders. And in doing so, they became part of the architecture of modern Ghana.

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