Kwamena Ahwoi

Born on Saturday, October 13, 1951, in South Suntreso, Kumasi, he is one of eight siblings, including Kwasi Ahwoi and Ato Ahwoi. With two brothers and five sisters, he is the fourth child among them. He belongs to the Fante Sefwi ethnic group. Sadly, he lost his father during his early childhood, and his mother passed away in January 2020, reaching the age of 97.

He grew up in Kumasi and attended Okuapemang Secondary School in Akropong Akuapem for his 'O-level' education. Later, he moved to Opoku Ware School, where he established the Student Action Front, a political party, and ran for the position of dining hall prefect. In Okuapemang Secondary School, the prefects were appointed, while in Opoku Ware Secondary School, they were elected.

From 1971 to 1974, Prof. Ahwoi studied law at the University of Ghana. As part of his post-graduate studies in 1975, he pursued a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) through a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University.

He served as a full-time lecturer in the faculty of law at the University of Ghana. During a new year class in Legon on December 31, 1981, Jerry John Rawlings requested that he join the PNDC and report to the Gonda Barracks of the Ghana Armed Forces while he was moderating. After his involvement in politics, he returned to academia. Presently, he works as a lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), a tertiary institution in Ghana. Additionally, he holds the position of Governance Professor at the GIMPA School of Governance and Leadership.

He served as special assistant to Chairman Jerry John Rawlings from January to August 1982, participating in negotiations with President Shehu Shagari of Nigeria to restore oil supply to Ghana. Between 1982 and 1987, he oversaw the Judicial and quasi-judicial branches of the 4 June Revolution and helped develop the 'Blue Book, outlining the District Political Authority and district-level election procedures. In the mid-1980s, he was Director at the Office of Revenue Commissioners, Investigations, and Tribunals from 1982 to 1988.

He held the position of Minister for Local Government and Rural Development in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government from 1990 to 2001 under the leadership of Jerry Rawlings. Additionally, he briefly served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1997 and acted as the minister in that department for a significant portion of the 1990s.

Secretary for Local Government and Rural Development, acting Foreign Affairs Secretary, unified NDC, fought in the Sierra Leone Civil War, and resigned in 2005

Ahwoi is a professor with extensive political knowledge. He has authored four books on local government, decentralization, and Ghanaian political history.

Literature Decentralization in Ghana: A Collection of Essays

The District Assemblies and Sub-structures as Partners in Governance: Strengthening the Decentralization Programme

Ghana's local governments and decentralization

Collaboration with Rawlings