By Rachel Kakraba
A former General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana Rev. Dr. Fred Degbe, has extolled the contribution of the immediate past Chairman of the National Peace Council, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, for his selfless commitment to peacebuilding efforts and the advancement of national unity. He said his life has been impactful, positively influencing many, especially the youth. Rev. Degbe, was speaking at a special service to commemorate the 70th birthday of Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi, at the Baptist International Worship Centre, BIWC, at Abelenkpe, in Accra. Rev. Degbey described Rev. Adu Gyamfi as a testament to God’s sustaining grace, which is marked by purpose and humility.
“Your life has been a living epistle read by all who have encountered you. From the boardroom to the pulpit, from the council chamber to the mission field, you have carried the fragrance of Christ. Your 70 years have not just passed, they have been poured into people, poured into purpose and poured into the kingdom”.
Rev. Degbe, said Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi carried light wherever he went and encouraged the younger generation to follow Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi’s example.
“For the younger leaders look at this man, this is what legacy looks like, not just longevity, but impact not just years but fruit. Let us not only celebrate Reverend Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, emulate him. As human as he is he had his own weaknesses too, but I guarantee that there’s so much to learn and appreciate from the anointing of God in his life”.
Celebratory Testimonials
Family and well-wishers who gathered to celebrate the 70th birthday of Reverend Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, shared heartfelt testimonials that highlighted his early life, unwavering faith, selfless service and transformative impact on countless lives.
Shoe shine at 10 years-Family
In a brief testimonial on behalf of the family, his sister, Naana Jamieson, recalled that after they moved from their father’s home to live with their mother, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi became fixated on starting a shoeshine business. He was so determined that he convinced their mother to provide him with start-up capital to pursue the trade.
“He persuaded mom to lend him some money and he bought himself a shoeshine box and set himself up in the business, he was about 10 years old. He became successful as he kept getting repeat business and these clients kept coming back and paying him more and more. Just when my brother was becoming comfortable, becoming the youngest millionaire in Kumasi, word got to our father about what he was doing. So, our father hauled him back home and said, no way is my son going to polish anybody else’s shoes, so that was the end of the shoeshine business”.
She noted that Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi, had remained calm and generous from childhood to date. She also expressed deep appreciation to Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi’s wife for the unwavering support.
“From his infancy until the brilliant man that my brother has become, I have never heard him say any unkind word about anybody. He has maintained his calmness of character and his generosity of spirit. My sister, who sadly could not join us here for health reasons, would like to join me in paying him a tribute and to declare how proud we are of him of the brilliant man that he has become”, she added.
Success in music industry
Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi’s business partner, Paa Sammy, asserted that Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi inherited many of his entrepreneurial traits from his father, who was also a successful businessman. He recalled their thriving venture in cassette and CD production under the name Multimedia Technology. When the airwaves were later liberalized, he said Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi proposed new business ideas that helped them adapt and remained relevant in the evolving industry.
“He saw ahead that the music industry was going to change, especially when the free air came on. All of a sudden, we realized that sales of cassettes and CDs were going down. So, we decided that we needed to move from that field, and he brought up the idea”.
Paa Sammy, also recalled how Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi’s sharp memory and entrepreneurial spirit led to a significant business opportunity.
“New Creation was doing a recording and at that time we were doing the recording at where TV3 is. They were using the reels and I saw him talking to the engineer as to where they buy their reels and that sort of thing. He showed him a box and there was an address on it. By the time we left, he had chewed(memorized) the address on the box and when we came back, he called the company and we became the agents”.
He said Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi was an honest and sincere businessman in all his dealings with both stakeholders and competitors, a quality that he (Paa Saaamy) had to align with years down the road.
Church life
Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, was praised for his exemplary leadership within the Charismatic Baptist Church, CBC, especially in the establishment of the CBC Taifa in April, 1988, where he served as the Senior Pastor for 25 years. He is also credited to have helped in the establishment of a number of churches in Ghana.
He also held various positions at both local and international levels within the church including, Executive President of the Ghana Baptist Convention, President of the Ghana Baptist University College, President of the All-African Baptist Fellowship and Vice President of the Baptist World Alliance.
Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi, also spearheaded several initiatives, including enhancing the visibility and beautification of the Baptist Women’s Retreat Centre at Ejura in the Ashanti Region, making it a key venue for Baptist Conventions and major programmes of other denominations. He also played a leading role in the acquisition of the Ghana Baptist Guesthouse, in Accra.
He also championed the human resource development of the church, by sponsoring some members to pursue higher education in the Ministry.
Rev. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, was commended for his exemplary leadership within the Charismatic Baptist Church, CBC.
Erica Wilson, of the Charismatic Baptist Church, CBC, Taifa, who delivered a testimonial on behalf of the congregation, said “you served as our first senior pastor for 25 years from April, 1988 to December, 2013 with great zeal and compassion for the flock under your care during your tenure”
Madam Wilson, who served as the church’s first Chief Deaconess and worked closely with Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi, expressed gratitude for his exemplary leadership and guidance.
“One of the most helpful things for me personally, was the fact that Reverend Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi worked closely and tirelessly with his body of deaconesses as a team. We felt seen, heard, and understood and this enabled us to also pour out wholeheartedly”.
She said Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi generously gave his time, expertise and financial resources to positively impact the lives of individuals at CBC Taifa, a gesture they will remain forever grateful for.
“Your earnest desire to assist others in preparing to take a place of leadership in the church, the workplace and every sphere of the society helped some of us a lot. Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi, my archbishop, as I fondly call you, I’ll not hesitate to state here once again that your training, teachings and encouragement mentored me to ride on your wings to take up such higher responsibilities. Thank you for your faithful service, and thank you again for allowing God to use you to bless the Charismatic Baptist Church Taifa”.
Peace building
As a revered figure in the Christian community, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu- Gyamfi, has demonstrated commitment to peacebuilding and national reconciliation. Through his leadership, mediation efforts, and advocacy for dialogue, has played a pivotal role in fostering unity and calm in times of political and social tension. His work on national platforms continues to inspire collective efforts toward lasting peace in the country. The National Peace Council, West Africa Network for Peace Building, WANEP and the Christian Council of Ghana were well represented to deliver testimonials in his honour.
National peace Council
The Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, Dr. George Amoh, who worked closely with Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, commended him for his pioneering role in promoting peace in the country.
“He’s the first person who started what we have termed the post-election dialogues that the Peace Council started, just after the 2020 elections, when Ghana had gone into a bitter election and we needed to heal”.
He said Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi possesses a remarkable ability in resource mobilization; a skill he has also been fortunate to learn from him.
Dr. Amoh, noted that under Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi’s leadership, the Council successfully established the Election Situation Room, a significant initiative that has further strengthened the nation’s peace and stability.
“Through his leadership, we were able to set up what we call the situation room for the 2020 as well as the 2024 elections. He has contributed a lot to the peace of our country. He shows the very values that the Peace Council stands for tolerance, he’s a very tolerant person”.
Adding on he said “Chairman, we celebrate you, we join hands with the Baptist Convention, your family and all the people to say God bless you. You have contributed to our personal lives. The Peace Council says we share in your joy; we join you and wish you long life”.
West Africa Network-WANEP
In a testimonial, Mrs. Levinia Addae-Mensah the Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, WANEP, praised Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi for his remarkable calmness and composure, even in times of chaos and turbulence.
“His calmness is such that there’s a name that was coined for him. I don’t even know who coined it, but I also joined in calling him, “Chairman Abrantie” The name was so apt, because of how he’s always calm even in the midst of a storm”.
Mrs. Addae- Mensah described Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi, as a remarkable and multi-faceted individual whose vast knowledge, sharp business acumen, and deep cultural awareness make him a true asset to the nation. She expressed amazement at Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi’s wide-range expertise, noting that beyond his pastoral calling, he is well-versed in business and surprisingly knowledgeable about contemporary music genres including hip-hop and highlife.
“He has a very broad and versatile knowledge base. I was also amazed by his business sense and it was interesting to find out that, he wasn’t just a reverend minister, I was shocked when he started talking about some of the things he had engaged in and how he knew about hip hop artists, high life artists, I was just shocked and I realized that, wow this man is such a huge asset to the nation”.
Adding on “He was able to deal with not just politicians but business people, civil society across the board and a lot of these were never public, but just behind the scenes. He did so much for this country. It’s a moment for us to really celebrate him as he turns 70”.
Mrs. Addae-Mensah, wished Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi well on the celebration of his 70th birthday, hoping WANEP would continue to benefit from his skills and competencies.
Christian Council of Ghana
The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev. Dr. Cyril Fayose, recalling his early days in office, said it was an encounter with Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi, which helped him settle confidently into his new role.
“He made me feel very welcomed and encouraged me. Like someone said, he gave you wings to fly, he made you feel you can do it and always pushed you to greater tasks. Thank you very much my mentor and my big brother, my spiritual director as well”.
He added “he’s one of the chairmen who had left the Christian Council and was constantly very much involved in the activities of the council”.
Rev. Dr. Fayose, described Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi as a true peacemaker, a quality consistently reflected in his calm and composed demeanor.
He recalled, following the NPP primaries that saw Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia emerge as the party’s flagbearer, discussions within some Christian circles sparked concerns over supporting a Muslim presidential candidate. Amid rising religious tensions, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi swiftly intervened, convening a crucial meeting with General Secretaries and heads of various churches and ecumenical bodies which fostered a calm and respectful atmosphere.
“When the primaries were done, and my good friend Dr. Bawumia became the candidate for the NPP, immediately there was a lot of debates on our Christian platforms, and some people were saying, no, we don’t have to support a Muslim to be a leader, and so on and so forth. Quickly Dr. Adu-Gyamfi called, the general secretaries and the leaders of the churches to a meeting and dispelled that religious basis for exercising our democracy”
Celebrant’s 70th birthday reflections
Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi recalled a near-death experience three years ago when he suddenly fell ill, while on vacation in the United States with his family. He expressed deep gratitude to God for sustaining him and granting him 70 years. He also thanked everyone, especially his family, for the honour and love shown to him.
“I stand here today to testify of God’s goodness and his grace that has been upon me to bring me to this point in my life that I can celebrate my 70th birthday. I want to express my sincere thanks to my children, both biological, adopted, and what we call the Adu-Gyamfi clan. They said to me, daddy, you have celebrated our birthday all the years, this one leave it, we will handle it”
Release of legacy books
A special feature of the 70th birthday celebration was the official release of seven legacy books authored by Rev Ernest Adu-Gyamfi.
