Famous People Born In Accra

Born in Ghana, Marcel Desailly first gained attention after moving to the Olympique de Marseille and winning the UEFA Champions League. He then gained fame with AC Milan and Chelsea, and was part of the 1998 World Cup-winning French squad. A BBC Sport pundit post-retirement, he also represents UNICEF. 

Nana Akufo-Addo is a Ghanaian politician and the current President of Ghana. An important politician, Akufo-Addo also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1 April 2003 to 1 July 2007. In 2017, Nana Akufo-Addo was honored by the Africa-America Institute with the prestigious National Achievement Award.

Ghanaian-British rapper Kwasi Esono Danquah III is better known as Tinchy Stryder, "Tinchy" being an indication of his short frame and "Stryder" indicating a game he played as a child. Famous for his album Star in the Hood, he also owns an apparel range of the same name.

The son of a Ghanaian mother and a Lebanese father, Majid Michel soared to fame with his role of a Lebanese boy, Shaker, in the Ghanaian series Things We Do for Love. He later gained popularity with Nollywood films such as Silent Scandals and delivered an award-winning performance in Somewhere in Africa.

Ghanaian singer Dennis Nana Dwamena, better known by his stage name, KiDi, is a master of high-life and Afrobeats. Though an economics graduate, his love for music made him start a music career with cover versions. His music has earned him many honors, such as 4 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards.

Ghanaian actress, model and film-producer Yvonne Nelson chanced upon acting with the film Princess Tyra. Over the years, she has produced and starred in several movies, most-notably the Ghanaian-Nigerian comedy House of Gold that bagged many awards at 2013 Zulu African Film Academy Awards. She founded the Yvonne Nelson Glaucoma Foundation and is noted for her charity-work in fighting glaucoma.

Ghanaian-born footballer Alexander Tettey moved to Norway at 13, where he began his youth career with Bodø/Glimt. He later had successful stints as a defensive midfielder with teams such as Rosenborg and Norwich City, winning 2 EFL Championships with the latter and 2 Eliteserien championships with the former.

The daughter of a Ghanaian-Liberian mother and a Lebanese father, Juliet Ibrahim had a tough childhood torn by civil war before she made her mark as an actor in Ghanaian films. Best known for her award-winning performance in the Nigerian-Ghanaian romantic comedy 4 Play, she once accused her former boyfriend of raping her.

Samira Bawumia is a Ghanaian politician and the current Second Lady of Ghana. She is also known for her humanitarian initiatives; Bawumia is credited with founding a not-for-profit organization called the Samira Empowerment & Humanitarian Projects, which aims at empowering the underprivileged in Ghana. In 2022, Samira Bawumia was honored with the Ghanaian Women Association of Georgia Global Humanitarian Award.

Ghanaian journalist and BBC World News anchor Komla Dumor had soared to fame with his program Focus on Africa. Grandson of Philip Gbeho, who had composed the Ghanaian national anthem, Dumor boasted of a Harvard degree. New African magazine named him one of the 100 most influential Africans of 2013.

Ghanaian gospel-singer, songwriter and preacher Joe Mettle is the first Gospel artiste who bagged the Artiste of the Year award at the Ghana Music Awards. He achieved such feat in 2017. Over the years, Mettle has garnered success with hit songs like Nhyira and Ɔnwanwani. He serves as manager at Reverb Studios. The Joe Mettle Ministries was formed in 2007.  

Ghanaian Afrobeats and Afropop singer Wendy Asiamah Addo, better known as Wendy Shay, moved to Germany after her father’s death at age 4. Starting her career as a midwife and nurse, she switched to music after returning to Ghana and is now one of her country’s most influential women in music.

Ghanaian film-actress and entrepreneur Martha Ankomah is known for starring in films like Somewhere in Africa. She has so-far won Africa Movie Academy Award for Most Promising Actor twice and many Ghana Movie Awards including two for Best actress in a lead role. She garnered criticism after questioning superficial narrative of Ghanaian films. Ankomah launched Martha Ankomah Foundation in 2016.

Ghanaian singer and songwriter Sista Afia, an Afro-pop musician, is known for releasing songs like Weather and Corner Corner. While the first song earned nomination for Hip-life song of the Year award, the latter earned nomination for High-Life Song of the Year award at the 2020 Ghana Music Awards ceremony. She is the niece of noted Ghanaian Bishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams.

Margaret Busby is a Ghanaian-born British writer, editor, publisher, and broadcaster. In the 1960s, Busby became the first black female and Britain's youngest book publisher when she co-founded Allison and Busby, a London-based publishing house. In 2020, she featured in the 100 Great Black Britons list. In 2021, Margaret Busby won the prestigious London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ghanaian rapper, song-writer, anglophone hip-hop and Afrobeat musician, record producer and entrepreneur D-Black is known for spawning award winning songs like Get On the Dancefloor, Vera and Seihor. He serves as CEO of the record label Black Avenue Muzik and the events management company Livewire Events. Other ventures of D-Black include the Black Avenue Clothing line and Black Avenue Films/TV.

Ghanaian singer, songwriter and recording artist Cina Soul, who finished as a finalist at the Vodafone Ghana Music Icons competition held in 2014, in Accra, Ghana, gained attention with her debut album Metanoia that, included hit singles like Awo and Julor. Her single Killi Mi won Best Video of the Year award at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards in 2019.  

Ghanaian politician Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey of New Patriotic Party serves as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana and as Chairperson of ECOWAS Council of Ministers. She earlier served as Member of the Ghana Parliament for Anyaa Sowotuom and as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and a Minister of State at Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing.