Meet the two Ghanaian-Americans who won seats in US Congress

Two Ghanaian-Americans, Adrian Boafo and Gabe Amo, have won seats in the US Congress in Maryland and Rhode Island, respectively.

Boafo, 32, will represent Maryland’s 5th Congressional District after succeeding veteran Congressman Steny Hoyer, who retired after more than four decades in politics.

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The second-generation Ghanaian-American won more than 68 per cent of the vote. He is the son of Ghanaian immigrants and was born in Virginia before being raised in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Boafo currently represents District 23 in the Maryland State Legislature. His political journey began at the local level, where he served on the Bowie City Council before becoming a state delegate in 2023.

He previously worked for Hoyer and later contested the seat following the veteran lawmaker's retirement.

His campaign focused on the cost of living, childcare and protecting federal workers, issues of concern to residents in the district, which is close to Washington, DC, and has thousands of government employees.

Boafo attended DeMatha High School before proceeding to the University of Baltimore, where he became the first Black president of the Student Government Association. He also pursued an MBA while working on Capitol Hill.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Felix Kofi Amo, popularly known as Gabe Amo, has won a third term representing Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District in the US House of Representatives.

The 38-year-old, who is the son of a Ghanaian father and a Liberian mother, defeated Republican candidate Kellie Keenan. Independent candidate Pedro DeSouza also contested the election.

Amo first entered Congress in 2023 after winning a special election, becoming Rhode Island's first Black member of Congress. He subsequently won a full term and has now secured another victory.

Born and raised in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Amo attended Moses Brown School in Providence, where he served as President of the Student Senate and received the Rhode Island Secretary of State's Civic Leadership Award.

He later attended Wheaton College, where he received a Truman Scholarship for public service. After graduating, he was awarded a Marshall Scholarship to study public policy at the University of Oxford.

Amo has also held several positions in the US government, serving under former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Under Obama, he worked in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs as a liaison to governors and state elected officials.

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He later served as Director of Public Engagement and Community Affairs under former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, advising her on engagement with businesses, labour groups, faith organisations and local communities.

Before his election to Congress, Amo served as Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Special Assistant to President Biden, working as the president's principal liaison to mayors and local elected officials.

MAG/BAI

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