Full Bio – Dr. Kofi Osei-Kusi

Kofi Osei-Kusi (born July 22, 1977) is a Ghanaian social entrepreneur focused on developing and influencing leadership development across Africa, a philanthropist, author,[32] and keynote speaker. He has extensive experience in corporate environments, educational institutions, and non-profits. As an African statesman focusing on leadership development, he has transformed lives through his coaching sessions, leadership and training seminars, and personal development books.[2]

Kofi is the co-founder of the Pan-African Leadership Institute and Osei-Kusi Foundation. He has dedicated his life to humanitarian work and unleashing leadership potential through his foundation as well as the institute.[3]

Education

Kofi completed his O-Levels in 1993 at Prempeh College in Kumasi, Ghana, and his A-Levels at the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School at Legon, Accra, Ghana, in 1995. He is an alumnus of the University of Ghana, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Management in 2000 and an Executive Master of Business Administration Degree specializing in Human Resource Management. Kofi holds a Doctor of Transformational Leadership degree from Bakke Graduate University, Texas, United States.

Career

Kofi is the co-founder and President of the Pan-African Leadership Institute, an executive education institute based in Ghana with students and alums in over 54 countries across Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, and Asia. His proprietary team building technique, used by several local firms, is fast becoming the tool of choice for corporate bodies who want to equip their teams for peak performance.[4][5]

Kofi is the Executive President of Osei-Kusi Foundation (OKF). Over the years, the foundation has invested heavily in the youth with a focus on schools, prisons, and rural areas through scholarships, coaching, and mentoring programs.[6]

Kofi is a chancellor of GH Schools, a tertiary institution providing skill-based training programs. It comprises GH Media School (Ghana’s fastest-growing media college), GH Cosmetology School, GH Fashion School, and GH Catering School.[7]

In 2017, Kofi launched the maiden edition of the Young Ruler Magazine, oriented towards developing the leadership potential in children.[8]

Previously, Kofi has worked with the Australian High Commission as Consular, Passports & Administrative Manager, Deloitte, and Sight Savers International.[9]

Speaker and guest lecturer

Kofi is frequently invited to deliver keynotes and lectures at educational institutions and conferences globally. His topics focus on corporate, philanthropic, entrepreneurial, political, and academic leadership. Some of his speaking engagements include The third Ghana Giving Summit 2022,[10] IYDC-Accra 2022,[11] Middle Managers Conference, Jamaica, 2022,[12] 2nd edition of the Change Africa Summit 2018,[13] Nexus Uganda Summit 2018, Nexus Africa Summit 2017, and Transparency and Anti-Corruption Conference 2015, [14]

Kofi has been invited as a guest lecturer by several universities, including Bakke Graduate University, US (2021), Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis; University of Professional Studies, Ghana; International Coaching & Mentoring Academy, Zimbabwe; Johns Hopkins University; Wisconsin International University; University of Mines and Technology, Ghana; Kumasi Technical University; Christian Service University College, Ghana; Columbia University.[15]

Philanthropist

Kofi has been working as a local philanthropist for years and has been involved in volunteerism and helping shape young leaders for over a decade through a group, Chosen Generation.[9] He urges NGOs and benevolent corporate institutions to continue their efforts to positively impact society, even in the face of financial challenges.[16][17] Kofi’s philanthropy approach is focused on empowerment and sustainability instead of providing one-time aid.[33]

In 2011, Kofi resigned from the Australian High Commission in Ghana to co-found Osei-Kusi Foundation with a focus on investing in young people and helping address some of the many challenges confronting the youth in Ghana. Starting with medical outreaches to rural communities, he took much-needed medical aid with the support of volunteers and medical professionals to screen people in underserved communities around the country. This also included donating farming tools, clothing, and stationery to school children.

In 2012, Kofi drove to the Nsawam Female Prisons in Ghana, where he asked to meet the Officer-In-Charge of the maximum security prison for women. He enquired about the challenges of incarcerated women and was informed by the Officer-In-Charge that inmates had little access to sanitary towels and the food was poor due to low government subvention. This led Kofi to institute a prisoners’ support service scheme through his foundation (OKF). The scheme donated bags of rice, maize, medicines to prison facilities across Ghana, including the Nsawam female prisons, Kumasi prisons, Senior Correction Centre (previously called the Borstal Institute), and Tamale prisons, among others. Through his foundation, he secured and facilitated legal aid for inmates without legal support.[27]

To encourage volunteerism and patriotism among the youth across Ghana, Kofi instituted the National Youth Volunteerism & Patriotism Awards in Ghana through his foundation.[28]

With a soft spot for people living with disabilities, Kofi has created extensive avenues to support young people, particularly the visually impaired and deaf, to access education.[29][30] Many young people from the School for the Blind at Akropong in Ghana and the School for the Deaf have been supported from primary through to the university level. One of the beneficiaries of Kofi’s philanthropic support is Grace Annabi, a visually-impaired graduate teacher, who was supported through the School for the Blind to Okuapeman Senior High School, and then to the University of Cape Coast in Ghana to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. Grace Annabi was appointed in 2023 as a Youth Sounding Board member of the UNDP in Ghana.

Furthermore, Kofi’s philanthropic work includes the refurbishment of the Occupational Therapy Unit of the Accra Psychiatric hospital in 2015. He has touched over two million lives through various philanthropic interventions, including coaching and mentoring, leadership and wealth creation seminars, and rural outreaches.[28]

In 2020, Kofi conceived a vision of an Africa and a world led by holistic, entrepreneurial, and conscientious leaders in all sectors of society; leaders who truly serve, develop, and maximize the potential of their people and resources for a peaceful, prosperous, and progressive world. This drove him to co-found the Pan-African Leadership Institute, an executive leadership institute with a mission to develop holistic, conscientious, and entrepreneurial leaders.

In 2021, Kofi called for a policy to regulate philanthropy in the country at the launch of the Giving for Change (GFC) Project. He emphasized that a comprehensive policy on the activities of philanthropists would streamline the system to ensure value for money and lead to efficient and effective project outcomes.[18]

Kofi was the Chairman of the African Youth Philanthropy Forum of Ghana and serves on the board of several organizations.

Author

Kofi is a published author of 18 personal development books, including 10 Quality Decisions Every Young Person Must Make, The Power of Self-Confidence, Secrets to Workplace Success and Promotion, 7 Pitfalls Every Young Adult Must Avoid (Wisdom Filla Series), The Ultimate Guide to Happiness for Young People (Wisdom Filla Series), and You Are Too Much (Wisdom Filla Series).[19]

He was a weekly columnist for Ghana’s Business & Financial Times newspaper.[20]

In 2013, Kofi collaborated with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Illinois, to publish The Living Wisdom Bible – a New Living Translation (NLT) version of the Bible. It has an African cover design based on the Adinkra symbols of wisdom, knowledge, and prudence. Adinkra are symbols from Ghana that represent concepts, observations, popular proverbs, maxims, and records of historical events, among others. The Living Wisdom Bible starts with a personal letter from Kofi to its readers and has additional pages on wisdom.[31]

TV host

Kofi was the host and presenter of Wisdom for Transformation, aired on TV stations across Ghana. Since 2012, he has hosted a number of TV and radio shows on various TV stations across Ghana. His shows include Wisdom for Living on Ghana Television (GTV) and Wisdom for Transformation on Lifestyle Television and Youth TV. His TV shows discuss various subjects, including wisdom, volunteerism, patriotism, leadership, national unity, winning at work, excellence, happiness, forgiveness, entrepreneurship, and networking.

Awards and recognition

Africa Most Impactful 100 Change Makers, Humanitarian Awards Global, 2021 & 2023[21]
Who is Who in Ghana[22]
Foundation Philanthropist of the Year 2017 Award, National Philanthropy Awards[2]
SME Ghana High Impact Personality Award 2016
African Youth Special Recognitions Award 2016[23]
One of the 30 Heroes of Change by the MTN Ghana Foundation[2]
University of Professional Studies (UPSA)Industry Player Award 2017[24]
Young Professional in Youth Development and Motivation Award 2015[25]

Personal life

As a teenager, Kofi developed a strong passion for wisdom. He sought to understand what wisdom means, how to acquire wisdom, and how to apply it. This led him to study literature on the subject of wisdom and find mentors who could guide and help provide insight on this subject. He continued to explore the subject of wisdom, including wisdom in the African context, proverbs, and other sources of wisdom in nature. He has published several books on wisdom with a particular focus on helping younger people gain a better understanding of the practical application of wisdom. His books on wisdom include Wisdom from Seven Wise Creatures, Wisdom for Singles, Wisdom for Job Seekers, and The Living Wisdom Bible,[31] which he published in collaboration with Tyndale House Inc. He has also hosted a number of TV and radio shows on wisdom, including Wisdom Filla, Wisdom For Living, and Wisdom for Transformation on Ghana Television (GTV), Lifestyle TV, Youth TV, and other TV stations across Ghana.

As a teenager, Kofi also developed an interest in Pan-Africanism through his readings on African history. This has significantly influenced his work at the institute, developing courses and programs that connect diasporas of African ancestry to the African continent. He shares the belief that Africa must look inward to find African solutions to African problems, and African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora, share a common heritage and therefore need to work closely together to create stronger economies, combat poverty, and build institutions that develop and maximize the potentials of people.

Kofi is married to Jacqueline Osei-Kusi, a banker, and they have four children,[26] Maame Afia Osei-Kusi, Kofi Marfo Osei-Kusi, Kojo Addo Osei-Kusi and Jackie Yaa Boahemaa Osei-Kusi.

Kofi encountered Jesus Christ at 13 while studying at Prempeh College. He gave his life to Him in prayer, continued to trust Him, and developed faith, positivity, and the urge to imitate His servant leadership approach.

Kofi is the second of five children of Kwadwo Osei-Kusi, former Managing Director of Mim Timber Company Limited, also known as Ayum Forest Product Limited, located in Mim, Ahafo, Ghana. Kofi’s mother is Cecilia Odom, a professional caterer. Both of his parents hail from Kwaso, a town in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipal District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Kofi is the brother of Kwasi Kwarteng Osei-Kusi, founder of James Town Coffee Company in Ghana; Kobby Osei-Kusi, founder of Pirl Technology, Maryland, USA; Dr. Afia Serwaa Attrams, and Joseph Osei-Kusi.

References

Nothing teaches how to live than continually reminding yourself that you are going to die someday, any day.

– Kofi Osei-Kusi