Former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has described the death of Dr. John Kumah as painful and unbelievable.  

The former Finance Minister explained that he was surprised by the development because “we had spoken just this Sunday [March 3, 2024], when he called to check up on me and how I was doing and even the way forward”.

Speaking in an interview with Joy Business, Mr. Ofori-Atta said “I was in my study room and got the call and I was stunned by the development”.

“Dr. Kumah is someone who you can describe as a dependable public servant, with lots of wisdom and someone willing to get the job done on any day”, he mentioned.

Some moments with Dr. Kumah

The former Finance Minister revealed that “the last work done with him before I left the ministry was some funding component for the National Youth Employment Programme. And he did a lot of work to pull that deal through”.

Mr. Ofori-Atta described the loss of Dr Kumah as a big one, adding, “Everyone who worked with him, will duly miss him, for his commitment to public service”.

Profile of Dr. Kumah

The Deputy Minister of Finance Dr. John Kumah was reported dead on March 7, 2024, after a short illness.

He was appointed by President Akufo Addo as the Deputy Minister of Finance.

He was the Member of Parliament for Ejisu in the Ashanti Region. He is a Lawyer and an Entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in leadership, creativity, innovation, and resourcefulness in creating jobs and supporting youth development.

As the first Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), he successfully positioned the NEIP as the enabler of the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Ghana.

Under his leadership, the programme trained 7,000 startups in 2018 under the Presidential Business Support Programme and supported 1,350 beneficiaries with funds.