Kwabena Kesse: How a Kumasi entrepreneur built the Kessben business empire
Kwabena Kesse , the businessman, who has died aged 68, spent more than three decades building interests spanning media, education, travel, hospitality, shipping and finance.
Kumasi-based entrepreneur Stephen Kwabena Boateng, popularly known as Kwabena Kesse, spent more than 30 years building a business group with interests ranging from media and education to travel, hospitality and finance.
Mr Kesse, who has died aged 68 after an illness, was the founder and chief executive of the Kessben Group of Companies, an umbrella for several businesses he established during his career.
Born on September 12 1957, he grew up in North Suntreso in Kumasi, where his business journey developed into a group of companies operating across several sectors.
The Kessben Group included Kessben Travel and Tours, Kessben Driving School, Kessben Computer School, Kessben Shipping and Forwarding, Fosua Hotel and Conference Centre, Kessben University College, Kessben
Consult and Kessben Foundation.
His business interests also extended into the media.
Mr Kesse was the sole shareholder of Kessben FM Limited, the company under which his media businesses - Kessben FM, Kessben TV and Aseda TV - were registered.
The media operations became part of a wider business presence associated with the entrepreneur and his activities in Kumasi.
Beyond media and education, Mr Kesse also held majority shares in Multi Credit Savings and Loans Ltd, giving him interests in Ghana's financial services sector.
His career therefore stretched across industries with very different business models, from broadcasting and education to transportation-related services, hospitality and finance.
Beyond business
Mr Kesse was also known for his philanthropic activities.
He established the Kessben Foundation and served on Ghana's National Peace Council between 2004 and 2010, according to the information provided.
His public profile consequently extended beyond his commercial interests, with his activities spanning business, media, philanthropy and national affairs.
His death brings an end to the career of an entrepreneur who built a substantial collection of businesses from Kumasi over more than three decades.
The available information does not establish what will happen to the ownership or management of the various businesses following his death.
That could become an important issue for the Kessben Group, particularly given his reported ownership interests in Kessben FM Limited and Multi Credit Savings and Loans.
For now, the focus is on the legacy of a businessman whose name became closely associated with a diverse group of companies and media outlets in Ghana.