By Emmanuel Bamfo 
Ghana has lost one of its biggest business icons. Popular Kumasi-based businessman Stephen Kwabena Boateng, broadly known as Kwabena Kesse or Kessben, has passed away at age 68 after a period of illness. The heartbreaking news came out on Thursday, August 20, 2026, causing widespread grief across the entire Ashanti Region and Ghana’s corporate space.
As the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the sprawling Kessben Group of Companies, he built a massively successful multi-sector enterprise that spanned over three decades. His diverse corporate portfolio included Kessben FM, Kessben TV, Aseda TV, Multi Credit Savings and Loans, Fosua Hotel, and Kessben University College. Through these visionary ventures, he created direct employment for thousands of young Ghanaians and shaped the modern media landscape in the Ashanti Region.
Aside from his commercial empire, Boateng was a dedicated philanthropist and community leader who served on the National Peace Council between 2004 and 2010. He held a first-class honours degree in Economics and Law, along with an MBA in Finance from KNUST, showing a rare blend of academic excellence and real-world business acumen.
Tributes are pouring in heavily online from ordinary citizens, business leaders, and public figures who are reflecting on his massive contributions to local entrepreneurship and community development. Many internet users are describing him as a true pioneer who inspired a generation of local entrepreneurs to start small and build global brands. Ghana has indeed lost a true captain of industry, but his powerful legacy will definitely live on for generations.
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