Abeiku Santana

In February 2025 President John Mahama made Abeiku Santana deputy chief executive of the Ghana Tourism Authority. It was a promotion for a man best known for three decades on radio, who had spent years running a tour company and calling himself Ghana's tourism ambassador.

Early life and education

He was born Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey Santana on 16 February 1977 in Koforidua. He went to Ghana National College in Cape Coast for his O Levels and Ghana Secondary School in Koforidua for A Levels, then earned a master's in tourism management at the University of Cape Coast and a postgraduate qualification in public administration at GIMPA.

Radio

He started at Radio Z in Koforidua and was deputy programmes manager at Radio Mercury in the 1990s, then hosted drive time on Ash FM in Kumasi from 2001. In 2002 he joined the Multimedia Group's Adom FM, where his afternoon show became one of the most popular in the country and he rose to head of music programming. In 2010 he moved to Despite Media's Okay FM. He was named Personality of the Year at the 2021 Radio and Television Personality Awards.

Tourism and politics

He founded and runs Kaya Tours and was named a tourism ambassador in 2017. In 2015 he sought the NDC's parliamentary ticket for Mfantseman but did not end up contesting. Since his GTA appointment, former deputy tourism minister Mark Okraku-Mantey has questioned his continuing to host a radio show while holding a public post.

Family

After his first marriage ended, he married Genevieve Benyiwah Aggrey; they marked their seventh anniversary in 2020.