The Ofori-Atta family is composed of the bearers of an Akan language patronymic surname and their relatives. The family is of royal Akyem origins and has been active in business, politics, law and government in Ghana.
The name Ofori-Atta is derived from the regnal name of the family's founder, Nana Sir Ofori Atta I. Although matrilineality dictated that his progeny be denied the royal succession, their inheritance of the surname highlights the fact that they are direct descendants of the king of that name.
Notable members of the Ghanaian political dynasty include:
Edward Akufo-Addo was a Ghanaian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the "Big Six" leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and one of the founding fathers of Ghana who engaged in the fight for Ghana's independence. He became the Chief Justice (1966–70), and later ceremonial President (1970–72), of the Republic of Ghana. He was the father of the current (executive) President of Ghana, Nana Addo Akufo-Addo. Edward Akufo-Addo being a trained lawyer helped him to play his role well in Ghana's Independence. He use his profession to contribute in building the nation. He used his profession to help maintain law and order in the country and help in the establishment of rule of law.
Aaron Mike Oquaye is a Ghanaian barrister and politician who served as the sixth Speaker of Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana from 2017 to 2021. An academic, diplomat and Baptist minister, he previously held the cabinet ministerial portfolios for energy and communication and was also the High Commissioner of Ghana to India (2002–04) in the Kufuor administration.
Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah was a Ghanaian politician, scholar, lawyer and statesman. He was a politician in pre- and post-colonial Ghana, which was formerly the Gold Coast, and is credited with giving Ghana its current name.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the president of Ghana since 2017. He previously served as Attorney General from 2001 to 2003 and as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2007 under the Kufuor-led administration.
The Big Six were six leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), one of the leading political parties in the British colony of the Gold Coast, known after independence as Ghana. They were detained by the colonial authorities in 1948 following disturbances that led to the killing of three World War II veterans. They are pictured on the front of the Ghana cedi notes.
William Ofori Atta, popularly called "Paa Willie", was a founding member of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and one of the founding fathers of Ghana as one of "The Big Six" detained by the British colonial government in the then Gold Coast. He later became a Minister for Foreign Affairs in Ghana's second republic between 1971 and 1972.
Aaron Eugene Kofi Asante Ofori-Atta, was a Ghanaian educator, lawyer and politician who served as the fourth Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana.
Kibi or Kyebi is a town and the capital of the East Akim Municipal District, a district in the Eastern Region of south Ghana, on the eastern slopes of the Atewa Range. Kibi lies at an altitude of 318 m and, in 2013, had a population of 11,677 people.
Nana Sir Ofori Atta I, KBE was the Okyenhene or King of the Akyem people and of Akyem Abuakwa, a traditional kingdom that stretches back to the thirteenth century and was one of the most influential kingdoms of the then Gold Coast Colony. He ruled from his election in 1912 until his death in 1943.
The Minister for Finance and Economic Planning is the Ghanaian government official responsible for the Ministry of Finance of Ghana. The Minister for Finance since January 2017 has been Ken Ofori-Atta, co-founder and former Chairman of the Databank Group in Ghana. He was appointed by President Akufo-Addo following the Ghanaian general election in December 2016. Kwesi Botchwey stayed in office the longest, first under Jerry Rawlings as Secretary for Finance in the PNDC military government and then as Minister for Finance in the constitutionally elected Rawlings government at the beginning of the Fourth Republic and was in charge of the Economic Recovery Programme under the auspices of the World Bank which oversaw major economic reform in Ghana.
Founders' Day is a national public holiday observed to commemorate the contributions of all the people, notably the "Big Six" who led the struggle for Ghana's independence. The Founder's Day was formerly called "Founder's Day" with the letter "S" appearing after an apostrophe and it was celebrated to earmark the achievements of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Kwame Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and a member of the "Big Six". He was born on 21 September, hence, the "Founder's" Day celebration on 21 September in each year in honour of his participation in the Ghanaian movement for independence from British colonial rule. Other members of the "Big Six" were Edward Akufo-Addo, Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, William Ofori Atta, and Ebenezer Ako-Adjei. There were several thoughts and realizations of the leaders of the Present President Akufo Addo's regime that other members of the "Big Six" who were part of the struggles for Ghana's independence must be honour as part of the celebration.
Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, is a Ghanaian investment banker who serves as the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning in the cabinet of Nana Akufo-Addo. He was a co-founder of Databank Group, a Ghanaian financial services company, and served as executive chairman until 2012 when he resigned. He was nominated by President Nana Akufo-Addo on 10 January 2017 and assumed office on 27 January 2017 as finance minister.
Susan Barbara Gyankorama Ofori-Atta also de Graft-Johnson, was a Ghanaian medical doctor – the first female doctor on the Gold Coast. She was the first Ghanaian woman and fourth West African woman to earn a university degree. Ofori-Atta was also the third West African woman to become a physician after the Nigerians Agnes Yewande Savage (1929) and Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi (1938). In 1933, Sierra Leonean political activist and higher education pioneer, Edna Elliot-Horton became the second West African woman university graduate and the first to earn a bachelor's degree in the liberal arts. Eventually Ofori-Atta became a medical officer-in-charge at the Kumasi Hospital, and later, she assumed in charge of the Princess Louise Hospital for Women. Her contemporary was Matilda J. Clerk, the second Ghanaian woman and fourth West African woman to become a physician, who was also educated at Achimota and Edinburgh. Ofori-Atta was made an Honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Ghana for her work on malnutrition in children, and received the Royal Cross from Pope John Paul II when he visited Ghana in 1980, in recognition of her offering of free medical services at her clinic. She helped to establish the Women's Society for Public Affairs and was a Foundation Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her achievements were a symbol of inspiration to aspiring women physicians in Ghana.
Adeline Sylvia Eugenia Ama Yeboakua Akufo-Addo was a First Lady in the second republic of Ghana as the wife of Edward Akufo-Addo and mother of Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo.
Akwasi Andrews Jones Amoako Atta Ofori Atta was a Ghanaian economist and politician. He was an academic in economics at the University of Ghana and served as ministerial secretary for Finance and Economic Planning in the Busia government.
Robert Yaw Addo Fening is a Ghanaian historian who has made major contributions in documenting the history of Akyem Abuakwa and of Ghana. He has been accorded the award of Okyeman Kanea in recognition of his historical works. For several years he taught at the University of Ghana.