Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is a Ghanaian politician and businessman who represents Assin Central in parliament for the New Patriotic Party. He was first elected as a member of parliament in 2000 to the seat of Assin North. He retained his seat in the year 2004 and 2008 parliamentary elections.
Ohene Agyapong was born 16 June 1960 to Francis Ohene Kofi Agyapong one of three prominent Ghanaian judges who was abducted and murdered during the early years of Ghana’s Provisional National Defence Council. (PNDC), and Mrs. Mary Nsiah at Assin Dompim in the Central Region of Ghana. He had his secondary education at Adisadel College in the Central Region. Agyapong holds a GCE A-Level and studied at the Fordham University, New York, USA. He is a farmer and businessman, director of Assin Farms, Supercare Group of Companies and Hollywood Shopping Centre. He is married with 22 children.
Kennedy Agyapong still remains one of the politicians who have never lost an election in Ghana. He was first elected in the year 2000. His intellectual work in the 2016 elections resulted in the victory of Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo- Addo
Kennedy Agyapong chairs the Communication Committee in Parliament, under the current presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo.
Agyapong has vowed to commit suicide if former President John Mahama‘s brother, Ibrahim, is not jailed by the Akufo-Addo government for some corrupt activities which, according to Agyapong, have led to the state losing money. One example he claimed, was the defaulting of payment of taxes by Ibrahim Mahama for more than a year period when his brother was President of the Republic of Ghana. Agyapong’s personal campaign on the issue to bring it to media attention led to the investigation of Ibrahim Mahama and subsequent agreement of Ibrahim Mahama to pay the said taxes. This action earned Kennedy Agyapong praises from a wide section of Ghanaians.
Agyapong’s indirect attack on the Electoral Commissioner of Ghana Charlotte Osei for, he alleged, trading sex for her position as the Electoral Commissioner (EC) boss brought upon him criticisms from various leaders including Queen mothers and human rights activists as well as other members of parliament. In 2018, following the arrest of Ghana Football Association president Kwasi Nyantakyi, he said that anti-corruption investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas should be stopped before he started investigating people in their “bedrooms whilst asleep”. He has repeatedly threatened Anas and was condemned internationally by the committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders he stated that Anas’ methods were ‘unfair’. Speaking live on Adom FM on 4 June 2018, he called Anas “a blackmailer, an extortionist”, mimed his throat being cut and said he should be “hanged.” He also called for “retribution” against Anas’ fellow reporter, Ahmed Hussein-Suale, saying “If he comes here, beat him… Whatever happens, I’ll pay.” Hussein-Suale was subsequently assassinated.
In July 2018, he was cross examined for contempt of Parliament.
He is believed to be the first Ghanaian individual to own an ¢8 million Rolls-Royce and is believed to also own a private jet, sparking calls for an investigation from the Customs Excise and Preventive Service into his wealth.
The history of Freemasonry in Ghana can be traced to the early nineteenth century when the first Masonic lodge was consecrated in the country. The practice of Freemasonry was imported to the then Gold Coast and other Commonwealth realms by European residents in the nation during the British colonial era. Most of the lodges in Ghana are governed by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) and Wales, Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Grand Lodge of Ireland. Similar to their sister organisations worldwide, Ghanaian masonic fraternities are nonsectarian, with proceedings of the societies being strictly apolitical and non–religious.
District Grand Lodge of Ghana
The records of the first lodges on the Gold Coast indicate that the Torridzonian Lodge No. 621 was consecrated in 1810. In 1833, another lodge, Cape Coast Lodge No. 599 was constituted. By 1863, both lodges had become defunct. In 1859, the United Grand Lodge of England constituted the Gold Coast Lodge, No. 1075 English Constitution, (later numbered 773) which has been active since that period At the turn of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, several lodges were consecrated under the English Constitution of the UGLE:
- Victoria Lodge No. 2393 on 2 December 1891 in Accra
- Accra Lodge No. 3063 on 2 March 1905, in Accra
- Sekondi Lodge No. 3238 on 19 March 1908, in Sekondi
- Taquah Lodge No. 3356 on 27 May 1909, in Tarkwa
- Ashanti Lodge No. 3717 on 20 March 1914 based in Kumasi
- St. George’s Lodge No. 3851 on 25 September 1918 based in Sekondi
- McCarthy Lodge No. 4132 on 29 January 1921 also based in Kumasi
The Grand Lodge of Scotland entered the fray in 1921 when it issued a charter to establish Lodge Progressive No. 1261 on 30 November 1921, in Cape Coast. Subsequently, a series of lodges were consecrated under the Scottish constitution:
- Lodge St. Andrew No. 1299 on 12 January 1924 in Accra
- Lodge Morality No. 1362 on 29 December 1929 in Kumasi
- Lodge Unity No. 1466 on 29 December 1951 in Accra
- Lodge Fidelity No. 1468 on 26 January 1952 in Takoradi
- Lodge Kumasi No. 1472 on 1 November 1952 in Kumasi
- Lodge Charity No. 1473 on 3 January 1953 in Accra
- Lodge Achimota No. 1522 on 29 December 1956 in Accra
As more lodges were erected, a petition by the ten Lodges under the United Grand Lodge of England for a District Grand Lodge was granted. The District Grand Lodge of the Gold Coast under the English Constitution was inaugurated in Accra on 9 May 1931. In January 1953 the seven Gold Coast Lodges under the Grand Lodge of Scotland petitioned for a District Grand Lodge of the Gold Coast under the Scottish Constitution which was inaugurated on 17 January 1953. When Ghana attained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, the St. Patrick Lodge No. 793, was consecrated on 16 March 1957 and was the sole Lodge in Ghana Warrant granted by the Grand Lodge of Ireland for 14 years. Thus, all three of the “Home Grand Lodges” had representation in Ghana. Beginning in 1971, six new Lodges were consecrated under Warrant granted by the Grand Lodge of Ireland:
- Abuakwa Lodge No. 840 on 9 January 1971 in Akwatia
- Saltpond Lodge No. 841 on 28 August 1971 in Saltpond
- Ahanta Lodge No. 843 on 20 May 1972 in Sekondi
- Asante Kotoko Lodge No. 844 on 1 July 1972 in Kumasi
- Adanisman Lodge No. 849 on 4 April 1973 in Obuasi
- Sekyere Lodge No. 850 on 28 April 1973 in Asante Mampong
The seven Lodges, operating under the Irish constitution petitioned and received approval for a Provincial Grand Lodge of Ghana, formed on 1 September 1973. In early 1994, a lecture titled “Let us Have a United Grand Lodge of Ghana” was presented at the meeting of Unicorn Lodge No. 8840, English Constitution with proposals made to achieve the unification objective. The Ghanaian quantity surveyor, politician and a Freemason, Harry Sawyerr delivered a speech at the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of Lodge St. Andrew No. 1299 Scottish Constitution, outlining how recognition for the United Grand Lodge of Ghana could be achieved.
On 9 June 2003, at an Open Forum held under the aegis of the Concordia Lodge No. 7199, English Constitution, with representatives from all the three Masonic Constitutions in Ghana, the idea of the United Grand Lodge of Ghana was discussed at length. In 2004, the Provincial Grand Master of Ghana Irish Constitution, Nana Herman Mould and the District Grand Master Scottish Constitution, Charles William Stanley–Pierre and District Grand Master of Ghana English Constitution, Kow Abaka Quansah conferred on establishing the Grand Lodge of Ghana.The then Provincial Grand Master–Designate of the Irish Constitution, John Atta–Quayson, attended the meeting. Other Masons who advocated for a joint lodge were Fredua, Mensah, then Provincial Grand Master of the Irish Constitution, D. S. Quarcoopome, then District Grand Master Scottish Constitution and later still Nana Herman A. Mould as Provincial Grand Master, Irish Constitution. The District Grand Lodge of Ghana, English Constitution was not in favour of a Grand Lodge of Ghana and therefore the unified entity was limited to the Scottish District and the Irish Province. Thus none of 57 English Constitution Lodge joined the Grand Lodge of Ghana.
Grand Lodge of Ghana
The Provincial Grand Master, Irish Constitution and District Grand Master, Scottish Constitution, formed a Joint–Committee for rolling out the steps for establishing the Grand Lodge of Ghana. Within three years, the committee produced a draft Constitution and Laws for the Grand Lodge of Ghana, Ritual for Opening and Closing Grand Lodge, Regalia and paraphernalia for Grand Lodge, Provincial Grand Lodges and Subordinate Lodges, as well as miscellaneous Documents, including Warrants, Letters of Commission, Forms and Books of administration. Fundraising activities for the formation of the Grand Lodge were also developed and periodic progress reports issued to the aspiring members. The Joint–Committee transformed into a Steering Committee for the formation of the lodge. For further deliberations, four open for a were held at the:
- Freemasons’ Hall, Adjabeng, Accra on 7 May 2008
- Freemasons’ Hall, Ahodwo, Kumasi on 14 May 2008
- Freemasons’ Hall, Windy Ridge, Takoradi on 28 May 2008
- Freemasons’ Hall, Aboom Wells Road, Cape Coast on 28 May 2008
A consultative assembly of accredited lodge members was convened to review and approve the draft constitution and laws on Saturday 7 June 2008. On Saturday 12 July 2008, the Electoral College assembled to elect the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ghana. Approximately 49 subordinate Lodges, made up of 21 Irish Lodges and 28 Scottish constitute the foundation lodges under novel warrants granted by the Grand Lodge of Ghana with new numbering based on the date of Consecration/Constitution and grouped into three Provincial Grand Lodges.