Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu

Sheikh Dr Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu is the National Chief Imam and Grand Mufti of the Republic of Ghana, the spiritual leader of the country's Muslim community and one of the most revered religious figures in the nation. Born on 23 April 1919 at Old Fadama in the Greater Accra Region, he has become a towering symbol of peace, tolerance and interfaith harmony over a lifetime spanning more than a century.

His education began at home under the guidance of his parents, Sheikh Imam Nuhu Sharubutu and Hajja Ayishatu Abbass. His early aptitude for reciting the Quran led him to further Islamic studies under eminent scholars in Kumasi, where Sheikh Abdullah Dan Tano became one of his notable teachers. This grounding in classical Islamic learning shaped his scholarship and prepared him for the leadership roles he would later assume within Ghana's Muslim community.

Sharubutu's rise through the religious hierarchy was steady. He was first appointed Deputy Regional Chief Imam in 1974, deputising his cousin Imam Muhammed Mukhtar Abbas, before being elevated to National Chief Imam of Ghana in 1993. In that office he has represented the interests of Muslims across the country for more than three decades. Though he belongs to the Tijaniyya Sufi order, he has consistently maintained neutrality and worked to represent all Muslims regardless of sect, an approach that has earned him broad respect.

He is celebrated above all as a peace broker and champion of national unity. In a country of diverse faiths, he has repeatedly used his moral authority to promote religious tolerance and to defuse tensions, building bridges between Muslim and Christian communities. His efforts have been recognised at home and abroad: in 2016 he received the Martin Luther King award for Peace and Social Justice from the United States embassy in Ghana, and the University of Ghana conferred on him an honorary doctorate for his contributions to conflict mediation and national cohesion.

Now well past his hundredth year, Sheikh Sharubutu remains a deeply venerated figure whose longevity and gentle wisdom have made him a national treasure. His enduring message of coexistence and his role in fostering peace have earned him citations from bodies including the United Nations. As National Chief Imam he continues to embody the ideals of unity and tolerance, and he stands as one of the most beloved and respected elders in contemporary Ghana.