Why the name ‘Kofi’ is more popular on the streets of Spain than in Ghana

Just as intrigued as you are by the headline to this story, Kofi Adoma Nwanwani, the host and CEO of KOFI TV and Radio, also shared the same sentiments when he quizzed Nick Kofi Danso Adjei about how it was that he had made the name more popular in a country like Spain than it is, arguably, here in Ghana.

But that was how the January 2023 interview got off with the man described by KOFI TV as ‘the richest man in Ghana.’

Back to the question on how the name became so popular in Spain, Kofi Danso (Dr. Danso Adjei now) explained that he decided to stick to only the use of that name and thankfully for him, having worked hard and kept a good reputation, it became natural that his name – which indicates that he is a Friday-born from Ghana, became a common one in a foreign land.

“I was born on a Friday and so I am called Kofi. I used to be known as Kofi Danso Adjei and I was also given a foreign name, which is Nick. So, when I went there, everybody started calling me Kofi because it was easy to pronounce.

“And you know the Whites got to like the name and that was why… I went there with only one name; Kofi. And people just got to know the name. Besides, if you live in a foreign land and you don’t lead a good life, your name vanishes with it, but if you lead a good life, your name remains and that is how my name resonated with the people so well that when they saw you, they confused you for me,” he told KOFI TV.

Describing further how he got to Spain in the late 1980s through the help of an uncle, he explained that as a 17-years-old boy at the time, he worked his way hard until he got to the level he is at now.

He also recalled how he was among the first people to bring floor tiles and kitchen cabinets to Ghana.

“At the time, we used to go for floor tiles and a lot of things from Guangzhou and then sell them to the factories in Spain. So, when they bag the items there, you would think they were from Spain but they were from somewhere else. It was through this that we started bringing some to Ghana,” he added.

Through hard work and perseverance, Dr. Danso Adjei is today known for being the owner of Ghana Link and Nick Petroleum, among many other businesses.



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AE