John Kumah

John Ampontuah Kumah was a lawyer and entrepreneur who represented Ejisu in the Ashanti Region for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from 2021 until his death in March 2024, while serving as Deputy Minister for Finance. He was born on 4 August 1978 and came from Ejisu Odaho.

Law and business

He went to Opoku Ware School, studied economics and philosophy at the University of Ghana, took an MBA in finance at GIMPA and read law at Legon and the Ghana School of Law, being called to the bar in 2013. He later earned a doctorate in business innovation from the Swiss Business School. He founded Aduaprokye Chambers in Adabraka and the construction firm Majak Associates, and in 2017 became chief executive of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), which funded start-ups and young businesses.

Parliament and government

A party member since 1992, he won Ejisu in 2020 and was vice-chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee. President Akufo-Addo appointed him Deputy Minister for Finance in 2021, and he was part of the team that negotiated Ghana's US$3 billion IMF programme, approved in May 2023. He died on 7 March 2024 after a short illness. Kwabena Boateng of the NPP won the Ejisu by-election that April. He was married to Apostle Lilian Kumah.