Ghana has lost one of its most extraordinary figures. Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo, popularly known as “Kantanka, the African Star,” passed away on September 11, 2025, at the age of 77.
His death has triggered an outpouring of grief and reflection, not only within the Kristo Asafo Mission he founded, but across the nation he inspired through his dazzling blend of faith, invention, and self-reliance.
For nearly half a century, Safo’s annual technology exhibitions were among the most anticipated events in Ghana’s cultural calendar.
They blended theatre, spectacle, and science: solar-powered cars, humanoid robots, helicopters, tractors, gesture-controlled televisions, and armoured vehicles rolled out before cheering crowds.
Some inventions were practical and functional; others, ambitious and experimental.
Yet collectively, they etched Safo’s name into Ghana’s history as a pioneer who dared to reimagine Africa’s technological future.
Humble beginnings and spiritual calling
Born in 1948 in Bekwai in the Ashanti Region, Kwadwo Safo came from modest beginnings.
In the late 1960s, he answered a spiritual call, founding the Kristo Asafo Mission, a church that soon distinguished itself from others.
Where many churches of the time focused primarily on prayer and preaching, Kristo Asafo became a hub of social support, community empowerment, and self-reliance.
Safo’s sermons were as much about science as they were about scripture.
He preached that God endowed humans with the gift of creativity, and that Africans, too, could harness divine intelligence to solve problems.
By the 1980s, he had become more than a religious leader; he was a mentor, philanthropist, agriculturist, and increasingly, an inventor whose work challenged Ghana’s dependence on imported technologies.
Nurturing talent through education
One of Safo’s enduring contributions was the establishment of the Apostle Safo School of Arts and Sciences in 1997.
Here, young artisans, mechanics, and aspiring engineers were trained to develop practical skills in applied science, mechanics, and engineering.
The school produced a generation of young innovators who imbibed Safo’s philosophy: that Africa’s youth could be problem-solvers if given the right platform.
For many graduates, the institution was more than a school—it was a laboratory of ideas and a sanctuary of possibility, where faith and science met under one roof.
Kantanka Automobile: A Ghanaian dream on wheels
If there was one project that defined Safo’s ambition, it was Kantanka Automobile, the only wholly Ghanaian-owned vehicle assembly plant.
Established at Gomoa Mpota in the Central Region, the plant began operations in the 2010s, giving Ghana its first indigenous automobile brand and placing the country alongside Nigeria’s Innoson Motors in the select list of African nations with homegrown car makers.
The Kantanka Saloon, unveiled in 1998, was a watershed moment in Ghana’s industrial history.
It was the first locally manufactured car to be publicly displayed, a symbol of national pride.
Over the years, the brand expanded with rugged Onantefo SUVs, luxurious Obrempong limousines, and several other models—Nsoromma, Daasebre, Otumfo, Omama, and Amoanimaa—each catering to different market segments.
Some vehicles were designed with unique ignition systems, including voice commands, wristwatches, or even shirt buttons. Though some features were more theatrical than commercial, they symbolized Safo’s desire to demonstrate that Ghana could innovate, not just consume.
His Odeneho solar-powered car was perhaps the boldest step into renewable energy, though it remained a prototype.
Still, its unveiling years before electric vehicles gained global prominence showed Safo’s visionary instinct.
Critics often pointed out that many Kantanka cars were assembled using imported knock-down kits with local modifications.
Yet even so, the symbolism of an indigenous car brand was powerful. It inspired pride and demonstrated that industrial dreams were not beyond Ghana’s reach.
Robots, aircraft, and armoured vehicles
Apostle Safo was a master of spectacle. His annual technology exhibitions became national events, drawing thousands to see machines that seemed plucked from the future.
The displays featured humanoid robots that saluted or guarded VIPs, walking machines, and even prototypes of helicopters and small aircraft.
The KTK-02 helicopter was one such prototype, presented as part of his aviation ambitions.
He dreamed of building a fully Ghanaian passenger plane, a vision that remained unrealized but underscored his refusal to limit African ambition to the ground.
His exhibitions also included armoured bullion vans and defence-style vehicles, often presented with military-style pageantry. Engineers and skeptics dismissed some of these machines as theatrical, but for many Ghanaians, they symbolized boldness and possibility in a continent too often associated with dependency.
Machines for farmers and builders
If his helicopters and robots captured headlines, his agricultural and industrial machines captured hearts.
Safo consistently stressed the importance of mechanizing agriculture and empowering artisans.
He built tractors, maize harvesters, block-moulding machines, and excavators.
These were not just showpieces; they were deployed in farming communities and construction sites, helping reduce reliance on expensive imported equipment.
In doing so, Safo positioned himself not just as a dreamer of the extraordinary, but as a practical innovator who sought to improve everyday livelihoods.
Household gadgets and everyday solutions
Safo’s inventiveness extended into homes. His exhibitions often featured televisions that could be turned on with a clap or gesture, solar-powered gadgets for rural off-grid households, and locally fabricated audio systems widely adopted by churches and community groups.
While these gadgets rarely reached mass commercial production, they addressed real needs, demonstrating his focus on solving ordinary problems with homegrown solutions.
Philanthropy and social service
Parallel to his technological exploits was his deep commitment to philanthropy.
Through Kristo Asafo, Safo ran feeding programs for the poor, distributed clothes and food to the needy, and funded scholarships for young students.
Hospitals and health facilities benefited from his donations. For thousands of Ghanaians, he was not just an inventor or preacher but a father figure whose compassion matched his ambition.
Critics, admirers, and controversy
Dr. Safo’s career was not without criticism. Skeptics dismissed some of his inventions as impractical or exaggerated.
Engineers noted that while Kantanka cars were functional, claims of fully indigenous aircraft or military robots lacked independent verification.
Yet even his critics acknowledged his ability to inspire.
In a country long conditioned to import vehicles, televisions, and industrial machines, Safo’s work forced Ghanaians to ask: why not us?
Global comparisons: Ghana’s Tesla or Africa’s Edison?
Safo’s influence has often been compared to global pioneers.
Like Nikola Tesla, he was a showman of science, dazzling audiences with futuristic prototypes.
Like Elon Musk, he merged ambition with controversy, speaking boldly of aircraft and spacecraft even when practical realities lagged behind.
Like Thomas Edison, he combined invention with entrepreneurship, establishing institutions and companies to carry forward his work.
The comparisons are imperfect, but they highlight one truth: Safo was not an ordinary man of his time. He was a disruptor, a provocateur, and above all, a dreamer.
Reactions to his passing
Tributes have poured in since news of his death.
His daughter, Sarah Adwoa Safo, a former Minister of State and MP, said simply: “Ghana has indeed lost a gallant son and a true legend.”
Leaders from government, industry, and academia echoed the sentiment.
The Ghana Institution of Engineers praised him for inspiring young innovators.
The Association of Ghana Industries described him as a pioneer who challenged local manufacturers to think beyond trading.
Even ordinary citizens flooded social media with memories of Kantanka exhibitions—robots saluting presidents, cars with outlandish features, and tractors working Ghanaian soil.
A legacy beyond machines
Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo’s most enduring legacy may not be the cars, robots, or helicopters themselves—many of which never went into large-scale production.
His legacy lies in the audacity of his vision.
He dared Africans to believe in themselves. He insisted that invention was not the preserve of Europe, America, or Asia, but a calling Africans could answer.
He reminded Ghanaians that technological self-reliance was not a fantasy, but a necessity.
His death marks the end of an era, but the dream he sparked continues through Kantanka Automobile, Kristo Asafo, and the Apostle Safo School of Arts and Sciences.
Conclusion: The African Star
As Ghana mourns, the memory of Kantanka cars parading through Accra, humanoid robots saluting presidents, or solar-powered cars gliding across fairgrounds will endure.
They will serve as reminders of a man who fused faith with science, and who defied limitations with courage.
Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo, “Kantanka the African Star,” is gone. But the fire he lit—a fire of self-belief, ambition, and ingenuity—still burns brightly.
