There is a saying in Ghana that if you want to find a businessperson, look for a Kwahu man or woman. It is not a stereotype. It is a cultural truth etched into the very fabric of the mountain communities that overlook the eastern plains.
When the Kwahu Business Forum (KBF) launched in 2024, some wondered if a business gathering in a holiday town could rival Accra’s corporate events. Three editions later, with over 1,000 entrepreneurs attending, banks sealing multi-million cedi deals, and plans for a permanent convention centre and airstrip, the answer is clear: the Forum succeeded because it sits on soil that already breathes commerce. This is heritage and not mere luck.
‘Have you seen a Kwahu man begging before?’
Every Kwahu child grows up with a certain kind of fire. In an interview, one Kwahu businessman recalled his mother’s constant refrain: “Have you seen a Kwahu man begging before?”
That single question, repeated through childhood, became a lifelong compass. Begging was not an option. Hard work, trade, and self-reliance were the only paths.
Many others from Kwahu recount similar upbringings. Parents who sold everything from textiles to provisions in Accra’s markets would return home to Kwahu with stories of profit, loss, and resilience. The children watched. They learned. They internalised the lesson that no one owes you a living , you go out and create it.
This entrepreneurial DNA explains why the Kwahu Business Forum did not need to teach Kwahu people and the larger Ghanaian community how to do business. It simply gave them a bigger stage.
The man behind the vision: Julius Debrah, a son of Kwahu
It is no coincidence that the Forum’s co-founder and driving force, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, hails from Kwahu. A proud son of the mountains, he understood instinctively that his people did not need charity. They needed connections, capital, and a platform.
Under his leadership alongside President John Dramani Mahama, the Kwahu Business Forum has become exactly that: a deal-making machine where local entrepreneurs meet banks, investors, and policymakers. The Chief of Staff’s Kwahu roots are not simply a footnote, they are the reason the Forum feels authentic rather than imposed.
The mountain mansions that rival East Legon and Trasacco Valley
Drive up the winding roads to Kwahu during Easter or any major holiday, and you will see something startling. Perched on the ridges are homes that would not look out of place in Accra’s most exclusive neighbourhoods. Modern architecture, manicured lawns, and gates that speak of serious wealth.
Visitors often remark: “I thought I was in East Legon or Trasacco Valley.”
That is because Kwahu people do not only succeed in business; they return home to show it. The houses on the mountain are monuments to decades of trading, entrepreneurship, and reinvestment. From retail in Accra to real estate in Tema, from transport to manufacturing, Kwahu businesspeople have quietly built an economic empire.
And now, that empire has a permanent home: the Kwahu Business Forum.
Why the Forum’s success was inevitable
Three factors made Kwahu the perfect host:
- A culture of self-starter. Kwahu children are raised to trade, not to wait. The Forum simply accelerates what is already happening organically.
- A diaspora with money and influence. The Kwahu business diaspora, spread across Ghana and beyond, is eager to invest back home. The Forum gives them a structured entry point.
- A location that symbolises ambition. Holding a business forum on a mountain, away from the convenience of Accra, sends a message: if you want to succeed, you climb.
More than a forum: a movement
The Kwahu Business Forum is not just another calendar event. It is a recognition that Ghana’s economic future will be built by its people, especially those from communities that have always understood the value of enterprise.
As that Kwahu mother told her son all those years ago: “Have you seen a Kwahu man begging before?”
No, madam. We have not.
And thanks to the Kwahu Business Forum, even fewer will ever need to.
