Osei Kwame Despite Explained

Despite Kwame Osei
Birth Date:2 February 1962
Occupation:Businessman
Known For:CEO of Despite Group of Companies
Children:Kennedy Asante Osei

Osei Kwame Despite (born 2 February 1962) is a Ghanaian entrepreneur and a philanthropist with a foundation in music creation and knowledge of the broadcasting sector.[1] Osei-Kwame is the CEO of the Despite Firm Ltd, a trade company with subsidiaries in the media industry, including UTV, PEACE FM, OKAY FM, NEAT FM and HELLO FM in Kumasi.[2] [3] [4] [5] He was named Africa Entrepreneur of the Year at the African Achievers Awards in the United Kingdom in 2021.[6] [5] He was also honored with GH CAPTAIN's Award in 2019 for his contributions to the socio-economic development of the country.[7]

Early life

In the Ghanaian town of Agona Wiamoase, he was born, in the Ashanti region. He began his career as a merchant in Dunkwa-On-Offin, Ghana's Central Region, selling music cassettes, feeding bottles, padlocks, and other items. After years of struggling to make ends meet in the countryside, he and his colleagues relocated to Lagos, Nigeria.[8]

In 1983, he returned to Ghana with other Ghanaians who had fled Nigeria due to the country's political unrest. Back to his country, he only had a trident cassette player and a chain-saw machine. He started a timber contracting business with the chain-saw machine, but it was smashed by a falling tree on his first business trip. [9] He eventually moved on to selling cassette tapes before diversifying his business.[10] [11]

Career

To show his support for the local music industry and to prioritize Ghanaian culture, he moved into radio and founded the PeaceFM at Achimota Mile 7 Junction in 1999. The station's experiments with the Akan language paid off, as radio listeners looking for local programming abandoned stations broadcasting primarily in the Queen's language on the 104.3 frequency. The radio industry flourished, culminating in the establishment of Hello FM in Kumasi and OkayFM in Accra, as well as peacefmonline.com.[12]

List of Companies[13]

Now, the Despite Group of Companies (DGC) has the following companies;

Personal life

Despite has a wife and nine children. Kennedy Osei Asante, his first son, is the General Manager of Despite Media.[17] In 2019, he married Tracy in an expensive ceremony that drew the attention of many people both inside and outside the country.[18] [19] [20] He is noted for collecting luxurious vehicles and has a great love for exotic cars.[21] He purchased a 3'000'000$ Bugatti Chiron in February 2022 to mark his 60th birthday, making him one of just 5 individuals in Africa who own a Bugatti. [22]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2022-02-02 . Social media celebrates Kwame Despite as he turns 60 - MyJoyOnline.com . 2022-02-04 . Myjoyonline . en-US.
  2. Web site: Osei Kwame Despite, Biography . 2022-02-04 . GhanaWeb..
  3. Web site: Online . Peace FM . EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Dr. Osei Kwame Despite Celebrates His 60th Birthday In Grand Style . 2022-02-04 . Peacefmonline - Ghana news.
  4. Web site: Larnyoh. Magdalene Teiko. 2021-04-24. One of Ghana's millionaires, Osei Kwame Despite, prays for the country to have more rich men. 2022-02-04. Business Insider Africa. en.
  5. Web site: 2021-12-11. Dr. Osei Kwame Despite Crowned African Entrepreneur Of The Year At The African Achievers Awards Ceremony In The UK - Ghanajoint.com. 2022-02-04. en-US.
  6. Web site: Essel-Lamptey. Vida. 2021-12-11. Osei Kwame Despite is African Entrepreneur of the Year. 2022-02-04. GhanaPlus. en-US.
  7. Web site: Osei Kwame 'Despite', Ernest Ofori Sarpong, others to be honoured at GH CAPTAIN'S Award. 2022-02-04. The Ghana Guardian News. en.
  8. Web site: 2020-10-30. From a Cassette Seller to a Media Mogul: The Success Story of Kwame Despite. 2022-02-04. Ghana Talks Business. en-US.
  9. Web site: Osei Kwame Despite, Biography .
  10. Web site: Annang. Evans. 2020-09-23. This is how Osei Kwame Despite makes and spends his money. 2022-02-04. Pulse Ghana. en.
  11. Web site: Dr. Osei Kwame Despite Biography Profile Ghana . 2024-05-03 . www.peacefmonline.com.
  12. Web site: 2021-05-18 . The list of businesses owned by Osei Kwame Despite . 2022-02-05 . Myinfo Ghana . en-GB.
  13. Web site: 2021-12-11. Dr. Osei Kwame Despite Crowned African Entrepreneur Of The Year At The African Achievers Awards Ceremony In The UK - Ghanajoint.com. 2022-02-05. en-US.
  14. Web site: U2 Company Limited . 2022-02-05 . Ghana Mom-rsf . en.
  15. Web site: Neat Foods Company Limited. 2022-02-05. GEPA Buyer Portal. en-US.
  16. Web site: Atona foods company limited,Tesano Accra - Ghana . 2022-02-05 . toptradefairs..
  17. Web site: 2021-10-10. You're the king and love of my life - Tracy honours Kennedy Osei and Damon Osei the founder of Youth In Business . 2022-02-05. GhanaWeb. en.
  18. Web site: 2021-05-18. Here Are All The 9 Children of Osei Kwame Despite - Georgeweb. 2022-02-05. en-US.
  19. Web site: 2021-01-03. Personality Profile of Kennedy Osei Asante Accra Mail. 2022-02-05. en-US.
  20. Web site: 2020-02-18. Kennedy Osei: School, houses, cars, businesses, family etc-Here's everything you need to know. 2022-02-05. GhPage. en-GB.
  21. Web site: Osei Kwame Despite, Biography .
  22. Web site: Ghana: Bugatti Chiron breaks down; crowd tries in vain to push-start it . 29 December 2022 .