7 of the richest pastors in Ghana and their Businesses

Prekese Ghana Media, in a report has put together a list of Pastors in Ghana deemed to be the richest.

To get information about the subject an intensive research was conducted. Many sources were consulted including church websites, businesses, government resources, libraries and some Ghana media i.e Ghana Business News and News One.

Prekese Ghana Media have adapted the article from their original sources and have made some changes to reflect the needs of the time.

Our Findings though not exhaustive is believed that it would whet the appetite of the Ghana “Yese Yese” people.

Please note that this article is not in any way poking fun of any church or its leader but is being shared as a form of entertainment, education and source of information for our readers.

The history of the Ghanaian has been very rich with a lot of interesting stories. The classic and the modern church which are mostly charismatic or Pentecostals are perceived as a God-sent institutions with missions to preach the gospel of hope, faith and salvation to the poor and downhearted. But in recent times, many churches in bad news have earned some of the churches the notoriety of being labelled exploitative institutions. In the quest to get to the bottom of this allegation, BUSINESS GUIDE treats readers to this piece.

Church goers and non-church goers alike have contended that some of the charismatic churches extort huge sums of money from their congregation by playing on the minds of the members. Some people too have argued that leaders of these churches, these days, preach and plan fear in their followers as a result of the people’s believe in witchcraft just to make them donate huge sums of money to pursue their interests.

While some of these arguments may not be far from the truth, BUSINESS GUIDE and PREKESE GHANAMEDIA would want to recognize and appreciate some distinguished men of God in the country, particularly to underscore the roles they have played through their ministries in the socioeconomic development of Ghana.

“In fact, these pastors have been richly blessed to the extent that they cannot be excluded from the wealthy people in our society today. Most of them are building multi-dollar empires, cruising in luxurious cars like the BMW, Don Rolex, Daimler, Porsche and owning magnificent mansions all over the world,” an anonymous disciple of one of these men of God interviewed by this paper mentioned.

Below is a list of Ghanaian pastors, according to how the public perceives them hierarchically. Categorically, these are sampled views of readers on the subject matter which was collectively put together by this paper.

1. Dr. Mensa Otabil

Dr. Mensa Otabil is the founder of International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), one of the biggest charismatic churches in Ghana. The church was officially inaugurated on the February, 26, 1984, in Accra. The first meeting was held in a small classroom with a total of twenty people. Dr Otabil is highly credited for turning the fortunes of many Ghanaians around with his precise and talented teachings from the Bible.

Just as ICGC began to witness rapid growth across the country, the Central University College, the church’s central business arm, was born. It is the second private university established in 1988 in Ghana to offer pastoral training after Valley View University. Now, it has campuses spread across Greater Accra. Central University currently charges GH¢1,700 as tuition fee per semester, has its main campus at Dahwenya near Prampram, whilst the first campus is still located at Mataheko in Accra.

Today, the university is regarded as one of the best private universities in Ghana offering business, science and technologycourses as well as the arts.

With an ambition to help grow Ghana’s economy financially and economically, Dr. Otabil is alleged to be a strategic shareholder of non-bank financial giant, First Capital Plus. He is also on the board of a number of institutions including Starwin Pharmaceutical Company, a listed company on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE).

Even though it is difficult determine the exact worth of Dr. Otabil, he is considered by many as a wealthy millionaire.

2. Dr Charles Agyin-Asare

Dr Charles Agyin-Asare, founder and presiding bishop of the Word Miracle Church International and associated churches, is another man of God who has been considered by many as wealthy.

Dr. Agyin-Asare, who presides over 300 churches both within and without Ghana, is a television evangelist, an educator, a public speaker and an author of thirteen books. He is regarded by many as a missionary statesman.

He has preached the gospel in 40 nations of the world with the manifestation of signs and wonders. Some of his crusades have reached over 100,000 people in a single night.

Dr. Agyin-Asare has had the pleasure of addressing audiences ranging from presidents of nations to ordinary citizens. He is the senior pastor at the church’s headquarters which is one of the fastest growing and largest local churches in Ghana. He has three kids with his dear wife Rev. Mrs. Vivian Agyin-Asare.

3. Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams

Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams is known in many parts of the world as the “Apostle of Strategic Prayer.”

He is the General Overseer of Christian Action Faith Ministries, with over 100 affiliate and branch churches in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. He is also the Founder and President of Prayer Summit International.

Anointed in the ministry of prayer, healing and the prophetic, his teachings have touched countless lives over the past 32 years. He has a lot of politicians in his church.

Archbishop Duncan-Williams has been used by God to counsel and speak to world leaders of various nations. These have ranged from several presidents to scores of ambassadors, ministers of state, members of parliament, and law makers in the continents of Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America.

Reverend Gideon Titi-Ofei

Another name that made it on the rich pastors list is Reverend Gideon Titi-Ofei. He presides over a multi-faceted ministry known as the Titi-Ofei Ministries and varied entrepreneurial ventures known as the Titi-Ofei Group. He is the president of the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI), a contemporary pastoral leadership training centre, the president of the League of Pastors, an apostolic ministry that provides covering for emerging pastors, and the Convener of Momentum, an annual international congress of pastors and church leaders.

The Titi-Ofei Group is an amalgamation of top-flight educational institutions including the Graduate School of Governance and Leadership (GSGL), the African Management and Productivity Institute (AMPRO), a top-flight executive provider that provides quality and affordable short-term training to middle to top level management; Leaders Factory, the biggest annual emerging leaders conference, and the Strategic Leadership Meetings, a community-based leadership development programme.

As a leadership development consultant, Rev. Titi-Ofei, in the last seven years, has mentored and trained over eight thousand leaders from varied backgrounds including political, corporate, business, pastoral and traditional leaders.

5. Bishop Dag Heward-Mills

Bishop Dag Heward-Mills is another man of God who has been considered by many as rich. He is the founder of Lighthouse Chapel International. Founded in 1988, the church, now, is in 52 countries worldwide.

Dag Heward-Mills is a Medical Doctor and has authored 58 best-selling English Christian books. He also established a number of entities such as Lighthouse Mission Hospital, schools, Christian Orphanage, National Association of Charismatic and Christian Churches, and also Bible & Ministry Training Centre.

6. In a related post in the NEWSONE , Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah is evaluated in this perspective.

Apostle General of the Royal House Chapel, Rev. Sam Nii Korankye Ankrah heads a thriving charismatic church that has its headquarters in Accra and a network of branches in many countries. The headquarters holds three services on Sundays, with each having close to 10,000 people in attendance. His children school abroad and he lives in a palace-like mansion at Sakaman Estates in Accra.

Among his fleet of cars NEWS-ONE has sighted include a Cadillac 4×4, aToyota Land Cruiser Prado, a Toyota Land Cruiser V8 and a Mercedes Benz ML.

He is on record to have explained his source of wealth as this: “We are blessed and we cannot deny that. The blessing does not only come by means of money but it comes through people that follow us. For example, I have a club in my church called the Kings Club. It is made up of very high-profile people who are doing something in society. Now every month, I pray with them and let them know that God has placed them in their positions so that they can serve people and serve mankind and so on.

Say I have 500 people in the club and it is Christmas or my birthday or my wedding anniversary, by Ghanaian customs and traditions where we honor our fathers, how much do you expect these people to give me? I will not lie to you; say to the whole world that I say that by our position as men of God, we definitely attract blessings of which includes money, but for me it is the following and the people which is more important and the more we serve them, the more they show us kindness at the least opportunity. It is not calculated and intentional; we do not work out these things. It is simply traditional, cultural and humane.”

KRISTO ASAFO (Christ Reformed Church )

Kristo Asafo -Christ Reformed Church - was founded by Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo on the 3rd February, 1971. On that fateful day, the then young Kwadwo Safo had a divine call to serve the Almighty God. As a result, he started preaching the gospel single-handedly. He won his first convert, Madam Faustina Akua Darkoah who has been very instrumental and resourceful at the infant stages of the missionary work of Apostle Safo in 1971. Auntie Faustie testified that this Man of God who now lives in the pool of wealth and luxury was once a very poor man. Like most of his predecessors, he climbed the ladder from poverty to not only wealth but fame. He is now the most famous icon in the eyes of many Ghanaians and Africans.

Humble Beginning

Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo started from a humble beginning. Life was so cruel to him in all endeavors. Wanting to tell the world that God has called him, poor Kwadwo Safo started the church in his suffocating and extremely small single room in Accra Newtown, Ghana. Having won some few converts he started teaching in his room every day as if the people had been hypnotized to serve the Lord in this hot uncomfortable room at all cost.

Apostle Safo went to Ghana House in Accra to preach the word of God regularly. Sensing more vigor, power and divine wisdom in his words, a lot of people trooped in to listen to his divine preaching. This kind of activity went on consistently until the first branch was established at the Ghana County Preparatory School in Accra Newtown. Several branches were formed in Accra and at a point in time the propagation of the Good News has to go beyond the confines of Accra. With his Gospel Singers, he had to travel outside Accra in search of money and work to fulfill God’s promise. He travelled to Kumasi and started preaching from Bompata through Kwadaso to Old Tafo, New Tafo to Bantama and Agogo. He won many converts but most of them could not stay because life was difficult and feeding himself and his converts was a challenge to the infant Kristo Asafo.

Investments:

Apostle launched and led an intensive agricultural revolution in his church when in 1983 Ghana experienced the most intensive and prolonged drought in remembered history with ravages of wild fires that swept through the entire country.

Safo Nyame Coldstore Limited is a dealer in frozen food in Ghana. Established in 1999 with a workforce of 5, the company has grown tremendously over the years and has become the main supply hub of frozen food within the Kumasi metropolis and the surrounding towns and villages. It currently has a total workforce of 70 personnel.

Incorporated as a private limited liability company in 1991, we have emerged as one of the biggest names in the transportation services industry in Ghana. Our CEO, Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo has conceived the idea of establishing a transport service company, and yes, he did, and today Imperial Express has come to stay and is continuing to grow beyond its boundaries.

The Great Kosa Clinic was established in 1987 to respond to the health needs of the society and to treat common diseases using African healing methods and traditions in a modern clinical environment.

Apostle Safo School of Arts and Sciences (GREAT ASSAS) was established to provide excellent education with achievable outcome to the community. ASSAS in patrnership with parents and the community, is dedicated to educating students from a variety of backgrounds through the collaboration of highly qualified teachers, rigorous data-driven instruction and student-centered activities. These initiatives enable students to acquire knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in an ever-challenging society in a safe and orderly environment and a climate of high expectations.