The year 2020 has been a very historical one in all recorded history. It will be remembered as the only year where over 80% of the countries on the Planet Earth went into a form of a Lockdown as a result of the Covid19 pandemic.

People had to stay at home for days and even work from home, borders were closed, concerts were canceled, and worst of all many people died. It has been a significant year not only in terms of the negatives but for some good things that also happened as both direct and indirect benefits of the lockdowns.

Green Views Residential put down a list of how the lockdown period could be used productively and that helped several people who needed some inspiration or ideas to work on certain projects. Through these dark times, there has been a ray of hope as the production of vaccines is entering the final phases of being certified for public administration.

Even though 2020 has been eventful, some people became influential and impacted the lives of Ghanaians in one way or the other due to their work or how they went about doing and saying things that got them public attention. Without much ado, Green Views brings to you 2020’s Top Influential Ghanaian Personalities in no particular order.

You can also check our article of the most famous and notable athletes from Ghana.

2020’s Top Influential Ghanaian Personalities

• Bernard Avle
• Nana Akuffo Addo
• Jerry John Rawlings
• Zionfelix
• Deloris Frimpong Manso (A.K.A. Delay)
• Nana Ama McBrown
• John Dramani Mahama
• Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang

Bernard Avle

His distinctive voice and control of the morning breakfast show at Citi 97.3 FM is heartwarming and has won him many admirers. Bernard is a very charismatic yet laid back figure when it comes to his personality and the way he approaches his work. Through his leadership skills, he has been able to rally a lot of Ghanaians including some of his colleagues against certain ills of society, and key amongst them were the advocacy work against illegal mining which has been destroying the environment and polluting our water bodies as well as the clampdown on the flagrant disregard for traffic regulations in collaboration with the Ghana Police by exposing offenders on tape. These initiatives as well as other acts and utterances have won him a lot of admirers.

The Morning Show that he hosts won an award for the Best English Morning Show in Ghana for the year 2019 and this came as no surprise since the morning show had won the awards for 2016, 2017, and 2018 in succession as well. 2020 though a Covid 19 infected year, was also an election year and the certain interviews conducted by Bernard Avle brought clarity to certain issues of national interest and helped people make their choices.

Nana Akuffo Addo

As the current President-elect of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo has earned his salt as one of the most influential people in Ghana. Before his presidential ambition was made public, he had led a lot of reforms and made a positive impact on the people of Ghana. It is often said that adversity brings out true leaders; when the Pandemic stuck Ghana, Nana Addo rose to the task and exhibited good leadership and decision making. He was proactive and showed a keen interest in the development of the disease and its impact on the people of Ghana.

Aside from the lockdowns and restrictions, other social interventions were announced by the President to ease the people out of the covid 19 discomforts. The free Senior High School policy coined and implemented by him reduced the burden on many families that struggled with the financial burden of sponsoring their wards to complete their basic education. He has shown true leadership skills and thoughtfulness for his people and has become a major influence in the lives of Ghanaians.

Jerry John Rawlings

Charisma, charm, bravery, articulate, and strongly opinionated are some of the adjectives one can easily identify with the Late Jerry John Rawlings who was affectionately called (J.J.). The Veteran soldier and ex-President have many achievements under his belt notable amongst them are leading Ghana to adopt democracy as the system of governance and this move has brought him critical acclaim throughout his lifetime.

He has indirectly influenced the political space of Ghana for all his life since he became ex-president and many saw him as a role model and a fatherly figure as well and his presence at social events added some dignity to the events. In 2020, his name popped up because of his mum’s 101st birthday which brought in many good wishes. Sadly, his mum passed away a few days after her birthday and he also passed away a few after his mum’s funeral. It was rumored that he died from the Coronavirus disease that has plagued the world. As condolences and tributes poured in, it became apparent that Former Prez. Rawlings had been very influential in the lives of Ghanaians.

Zionfelix

Zionfelix, also known as Felix Adomako Mensah arguably became the hottest and biggest entertainment blogger in Ghana in 2020. His popularity soared to dizzying heights as his name was on the lips of most celebrities in Ghana. He had started when he was younger after school and had worked as a Radio Presenter at the Legon based Radio Univers. He later started with his blog zionfelix.net right after High School and with determination has become one of the biggest entertainment bloggers in Ghana.

Zionfelix has become one that many people contact to help advertise their products because of his massive following on social media. 2020 was great for Zionfelix since he peaked in his followership and completed both a house and a studio which is now serving as his office and he’s has become one of the most respected Ghanaian bloggers of 2020.

Deloris Frimpong Manso (A.K.A. Delay)

Ghanaians are no strangers to her show that interviews celebrities and brings out confessions, admissions, and revelations of the lives of her interviewees. Delay has carved her name in the hearts of Ghanaians with her alluring and daring interviews that run on YouTube. Not only is she a media personality but a successful entrepreneur as well and one of the most inspirational Ghanaian women.

She has succeeded in building up the brands of her products: the Delay canned Mackerel, Delay spaghetti, Delay tomato paste, Delay sardines.

Delay is a very outspoken personality, a good public speaker, and is always fighting for the course of the African woman and often makes use of her platforms to propagate the African woman. In 2020, Delay has been influencing the thoughts and comments of Ghanaians mainly through her television show and her entrepreneurship feats. It is no surprise that she won both The Most Outstanding Woman of the Year and the Outstanding Woman TV Personality at the third edition of the Ghana Outstanding Women Award (GOWA) in 2020. Look out for Delay as she has Presidential Ambitions – she wants to be Ghana’s first female President by 2032.

Nana Ama McBrown

The bubbly, indefatigable, full of life and exciting television personality has a lot of adoration from both young and old alike. Nana Ama has slowly transitioned from being a very successful and versatile actress to being a much more successful Television presenter. She has featured in numerous movies both in the local language (Akan) industry popularly called Kumawood and the English speaking Ghanaian film industry popularly known as Ghallywood. Throughout her acting career, she has performed to critical acclaim and has been decorated with several accolades.

She has been a popular brand ambassador for the Hisense Electronics Company and through her hard work, contributed to making the brand a household name in Ghana. When she transitioned to T.V. presenting, she excelled and gained a lot of followership because of her hard work. 2020 was a time when her YouTube views peaked at over 500,000 viewers as her popularity continued to soar. She also won T.V. Female Entertainment Show Host of the Year 2019/2020 during the 2020 edition of the Radio and Television Presenters Awards Show. Nana Ama continues to be an inspiration to a lot of people in Ghana.

John Dramani Mahama

It is not every time you find a former President of a country attempting to make a comeback. Over the years, a few former Presidents have attempted to make comebacks and generally, there have been little successes with an example being America’s Theodore Roosevelt. Mahama has chalked several successes in his lifetime but decided to be the opposing party’s flag bearer to contest against Nana Akuffo Addo in the 2020 general elections. 2020 was the year he was most active and influential considering his bid for a comeback as Ghana’s President.

His vigorous campaigns – most of them on social media brought him a lot more followers than he already had. His donations and words influenced the thought patterns and actions of a lot of Ghanaians. HE constructively critiqued the government while suggesting how he best thought the covid 19 outbreak in Ghana should be contained. Moreover, his infectious and catchy campaign songs are have been a source of entertainment to many Ghanaians including his rivals.

Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang

This Literature Professor has proven to be very influential in the lives of many students as an academic. Prof Opoku-Agyeman has held many academic positions at the University of Cape Coast which is her Alma Mata; being head of a department, Dean of the Faculty of Arts Warden of various Halls and Hostels as well as the Founding Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research, she has grown through the ranks. Her persistent dedication and hard work earned her the position of Vice-Chancellor for the University of Cape Coast and being the first-ever female Vice-Chancellor in Ghana.

She has represented Ghana in numerous programs and Boards and one of the main highlights of such is her participation on the Executive Board of UNESCO as a representative of Ghana. From October 2018 till date she is serving as the Chancellor for the Women’s University of Africa which is located in Zimbabwe and has served on numerous boards and committees both locally and internationally. She served as the minister of education in the erstwhile John Mahama administration and performed to critical acclaim. In 2020, she was selected by John Mahama who was planning a comeback to be his Vice Presidential candidate due to her sterling achievements and qualities. During this period, she has used her words and actions to empower the underprivileged most particularly those of the female gender to take opportunities that come their way and to dream big and follow them through.

These are a few Ghanaians who per their words and actions inspired many more Ghanaians in diverse ways. It is very important that we also become influential in our small ways and inspire people we come across in life. Get inspired by checking out GreenViews Apartments’ facilities and make the cool choice when you visit Ghana.