Apostle Dr Kwadwo Safo Kantanka is a mysterious but great man to have surfaced on the earth. He is a preacher, inventor (Kantanka Automobile), innovator, Physicist, Chemist, Biologist, agriculturalist, philanthropist and the Star of Africa.
Imagine having a television set that comes on after an effortless clap or by blowing air; picture yourself in a car that is engineless and starts with a simple push of a button tucked to your dress; or a change-over-machine that speaks and tells you where exactly a fire or electrical fault is in your home.
This is not fiction. It is not magic. It is not happening in Europe or Asia and not even in the United States. These products are being manufactured in the West African nation of Ghana.
The brains behind this is Apostle Dr Kwadwo Safo kantanka, owner of the Kantanka Group of Companies. He is naturally gifted. A genius. An inventor and a philanthropist. He has no formal or sophisticated technical background. He imagines, dreams and creates at will. He lives in his own world.
Kantanka Automobile is a Ghana based automotive assembler and manufacturer, was established in 1994 by Kwadwo Safo Kantanka and incorporated as Limited Liability Company in 2004 to research into the manufacturing of automotive components and their combination with other parts outsourced from component suppliers to form a complete built unit. In 1998, the first Complete Built Unit (CBU) was manufactured using over 75% of local components, locally manufactured including the engine block. By 2006, the first SUV (ONANTEFO) was manufactured.
The Kantanka range of cars includes both saloon and four-wheel drive vehicles, Kantanka Nkunimdie SUV, Kantanka Omama Pickup – a rebadged Foday Lion, Kantaka Onantefo 4×4 pickup/SUV – Kantanka Onantefo SUV a rebadged Foday Explorer 6, Otumfuo SUV, Kantanka K71 small SUV – a rebadged Brilliance Jinbei S30, Kantanka Amoanimaa, Kantanka Mensah, Kantanka Omama luxury 4×4, Kantanka S6000 Rudal Balistic Berbasis petasan High Tech Standard 4×4, Katanka Anti Air Missile Launcher, F-35 Destroyer High Tech, Anti-Tank High Technology and Exo Skeleton Robotik Semi HUMAN High Tech.
A view of a Kantanka car at the Apostle Safo Technology Research Centre in Gomoa Mpota, Ghana, on February 12, 2014. Kantanka Automobile AFP PHOTO / CHRIS STEIN (Photo credit should read Chris Stein/AFP via Getty Images)
The Kantanka Group of Companies expands further to incorporate Great Kosa Company Ltd – a conglomerate. It has a Foundry and Pattern Development division, Plant Medicine division, Building and Construction division, Mechanical, Radio and Transmission division, and Electricals and Electronics division.
A view of a prototype helicopter at the Apostle Safo Technology Research Centre in Gomoa Mpota, Ghana, on February 12, 2014. AFP PHOTO / CHRIS STEIN (Photo credit should read Chris Stein/AFP via Getty Images)
It takes about 45 minutes from Accra, the capital, to reach his “city” at Gomoa Mpota in the central region of Ghana. It is set apart from the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan Accra. His flag – blue, red, yellow and white stars embossed on the blue hue – constantly flies at a junction on the highway you reach after going past beautiful green landscapes that lead to his location.
It is a large tract of land. The buildings are huge. The ambiance is engaging. It has a natural touch and feel, complete with tortoises – the oldest is 40 years – and a porcupine, evidence of Safo’s love for nature.
Apostle Dr Kwadwo Safo Kantanka was born on 26th August 1948 at Bekwai in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. As a child, he had deep passion for science and technology. After closing from school, he would quickly do his home work and rush to the farm to get sticks for designing cars, helicopters, planes, etc. He designed machines and automobiles that had never been seen in the town.
The level of wisdom displayed by the young Kwadwo Safo Kantanka through his speech and handicrafts astonished lots of people. This earned him great respect from the community including the youth and the elderly.
Apart from his deep interest in studying nature, he loved sports. He was a very good footballer, musician and dancer. It is therefore not surprising that he started manufacturing musical instruments at the early part of his life.
After basic school, he attended the Ghana Technical Works Institute in Kumasi. He thereafter had a three-year stint as a welder at the Volta Aluminum Company (VALCO).