I was adopted by my stepfather at age 2 - Nana Akua Addo opens up

Ghanaian fashion icon Nana Akua Addo has disclosed details about her upbringing, revealing that her biological parents did not live together and that she was adopted by her stepfather when she was just two years old.

In an interview on the Sincerely Accra Podcast, she explained that this early change in her family structure meant she grew up in Germany, where she spent most of her childhood and came to know her stepfather as her father figure.

“I was adopted by my stepfather when I was as young as a two-year-old and then I lived all my life in Germany. So I grew up knowing my stepfather as my father. He is a pastor, so you can imagine his role in my life,” she disclosed.

She also looked back on her move from Berlin to Ghana at a young age, describing her excitement about the transition based on what her mother had often told her about life in Ghana.

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“When I was leaving, I was barely a toddler, so I didn’t have anything, but I just couldn’t wait to experience the pampering because my mum would always tell me how I wasn’t going to work if I went to Ghana. My grandma would do everything, so I was so excited to actually experience that,” she noted.

Nana Akua Addo further addressed her senior high school experience, particularly her time at University Practice SHS, where she said she eventually left after being asked to cut her hair.

She explained that she struggled to understand the reason behind the senior high school’s rule at the time.

“I didn’t understand that. I had actually had long hair when I relocated. The moment you saw me, you would think I was Naomi Campbell; that’s what they actually used to call me. I don’t understand why I had to cut my hair,” she said.

She also touched on broader cultural perceptions around appearance and intelligence, comparing Ghana’s approach to that of other countries.

According to her, personal appearance should not be used to judge a person’s ability or intelligence, and she believes attitudes may gradually change.

“When you go to China, Germany, America, most of the doctors have their hair. I don’t think people’s appearance should actually define their intelligence because when you go to Germany, most of the good doctors have tattoos all over them and piercings all over them, and they are the best. But in Ghana, in Africa, they would have judged you differently. I think we will get there,” she added.

@babyannn22 Credit: Sincerely Accra #fyp ♬ original sound - Baby-Ann💞🥂