Features
A focus on Mr. Frank Aidoo
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Mr Frank Aidoo
I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland, with a focus on Mr. Frank Aidoo.
Mr. Aidoo, affectionately called “Honourable”, is a former President of the Ghana Union Finland, an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland. He is currently a board member of the Union and a well-respected senior member of the Ghanaian community in Finland.
He moved to Finland in the late 1990s, and he lived in other places in Finland but now lives in Helsinki with his wife and their children.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND HONOURS
It is important to recount Mr Aidoo’s accomplishments as part of the success stories of people of Ghanaian descent in Finland in order to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
Mr. Aidoo, sometimes also affectionately called “Frankie”, assumed office as the President of the Ghana Union Finland at a time when the vibrancy of the association had undoubtedly gone down.
He had started as the Organiser of the Union, and at a time when there was the need for someone to become the President of the association, Mr. Aidoo readily took up the mantle. Through his organisational abilities, the Ghana Union Finland was visibly transformed.
Mr. Aidoo has other accomplishments. He is the proud father of two well-known basketball players. The two sons play for top basketball clubs, and the first son even plays in the Finnish national team. They usually attract huge media attention and they are featured extensively in Finnish newspapers, radio and television as well as on social media.
RELIGIOUS LIFE
In spite of his busy working life and other commitments, Mr. Aidoo is a committed member of The Church of Pentecost in Finland (COP), which was established about 20 years ago in September 2000 as a prayer group with a small number of devoted persons in Helsinki.
Mr. Aidoo is currently the National Men’s Leader in the Pentecost Men’s Ministry (PEMEM), which caters for the interest of all the men in The Church of Pentecost.
He plays a key role in the Akan Assembly of The Church of Pentecost in Helsinki, which is a branch where worship is done mostly in the Twi language. The other branch is the English Assembly (or the PIWC), which is attended by other nationalities and African migrants, aside Ghanaian migrants.
HIS WORKING LIFE
Mr. Frank Aidoo has worked in various companies in Finland. He currently works with Wotkins company, a meat wholesale firm that deals in fresh meat as well as processed meat products, which employs a number of workers.
He is very close to the owner of that company and has worked there for over 15 years.
Mr. Aidoo worked under the company’s founder who passed on a few years ago. Mr Aidoo still works at Wotkins under the founder’s two sons who took over after their father’s death.
HIS ROLE IN THE GHANAIAN COMMUNITY
Mr Frank Aidoo has been very active in the Ghanaian community. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has chaired many functions organised by the Union as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
As mentioned earlier, Mr Aidoo is currently one of the Board Members of the Ghana Union Finland, having been a former President of the Union.
He is also the Abusuapanyin of the Mfantseman Kuw Finland, which is an association formed purposely to bring all Fantes living in Finland together in unity and peaceful co-existence and is also open to other nationalities who subscribe to the principles and ideals of the association.
Mr Aidoo has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths and has also been part in settling various kinds of conflicts between some people.
He lives in Helsinki with his wife and their children, two of whom are skilful basketball players who play for top Finnish teams, as mentioned earlier. (I hope to write about them soon). Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them
Email: perpetualcrentsil@yahoo.com
BY PERPETUAL CRENTSIL
On Sunday, 16 August 2026, the Church of Pentecost (COP) in Finland held a befitting farewell church service for Apostle Francis Owusu Kwaah, the National Head of COP in Finland. It was a well-attended event and, by all measure, a perfect way to offer a well-deserved gratitude to Apostle Owusu Kwaah for his service and contribution to the growth of the church in Finland.
Apostle Owusu Kwaah arrived in Finland on 22 November 2020 and took up the position as the National Head of COP in Finland, taking over from Apostle Edmund Appiah who then moved to the UK.
Many people extolled the remarkable character and excellent leadership qualities of Apostle Francis Owusu Kwaah.
Achievements of Apostle Owusu Kwaah
A key farewell message stated that under Apostle Owusu Kwaah’s leadership the church has experienced remarkable growth and transformation.
The message said further that there have been significant increases in church membership—two (2) more Assemblies have been added to the church fold while three pastors have been ordained (2 of them have been sent into missions abroad, with the other one is working in Finland).
Testimonies and Appreciations
Testimonies and messages of appreciation were delivered as appeared in the programme by the National Presbytery, the Men’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, Children’s Ministry, and other well-wishers.
“Our Apostle is known for being approachable and reliable. His warm personality and humility have endeared him to many”, the farewell message further said, adding that his ministry has extended far beyond the walls of the church. He has faithfully visited hospitals, homes, and prisons to preach the word of God, pray with people, and bring hope to those in need.
For the over 20 years that the church has existed after it was started in September 2000 as a prayer group with a small number of devoted persons in Helsinki (see www.copfinland.fi), the COP has had smooth running and change of leadership to its advantage.
Apostle Owusu Kwaah took over from Apostle Edmund Appiah, who was the first to be appointed as National Head of COP in Finland from 2013 until early 2020. Indeed, under the leadership of Apostle Owusu Kwaah, and Apostle Appiah before him, the Church has grown and spread to other cities and towns in Finland.
Apostle’s response
Surrounded by his beloved wife, Mrs Joyce Owusu Kwaah, and their five children, Apostle Owusu Kwaah delivered a powerful and infectious message in response to the messages of gratitude to him and his family for their good work in the church.
He preached the importance of loving God with one’s whole heart. He entreated the audience to love God and do His work to glorify his name.
The Apostle thanked the COP Finland, the numerous friends and well-wishers who supported him and interacted assuredly with him and his family and thus made their stay very comfortable in Finland.
COP’s future and growth in Finland
The COP Finland has become very formidable in the religious space in Finland.
Indeed, it has played a prominent role in the religious or spiritual existence of its members, as well as in people’s social lives as a key aspect of integration into the Finnish society.
The church continues to grow and, for example, it has been one of the major channels through which the Ghana Union Finland (GUF), an association for Ghanaian immigrants in Finland, has made more contacts with members of the Ghanaian immigrant community.
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“A woman who abandons her baby in a dustbin at Kasoa Lorry Station is not always a wicked woman. Sometimes, she is a wounded woman whose mind has broken, whose family has rejected her, and whose society has left her with only one terrible option: disappear or be disgraced.”
That is the hard truth Ghana must hear.
In the last 10 days alone, our nation has been confronted with the same painful headline, twice.
Case 1 – Kasoa Main Lorry Station, Central Region: A newborn baby girl was found abandoned inside a dustbin at the public toilet of the Kasoa Main Station. A woman who went to use the facility discovered the infant and raised an alarm. Commercial drivers and bystanders quickly retrieved the baby and rushed her to the Kasoa Polyclinic for emergency medical care.
Case 2 – Asante Bekwai, Ashanti Region: On Thursday morning, August 20, 2026, a two-week-old neonate was reportedly abandoned by an unknown nursing mother at Bekwai in the Ashanti Region. Residents who came across the child raised the alarm. The baby was admitted to the Bekwai Government Hospital as police commenced investigations.
Let me be clear from the start: Newborn abandonment is wrong. It is dangerous. It is criminal. And it can kill. This article does not excuse it. But if we only arrest and shame, we will never stop it. We must treat the root, not just punish the fruit.
What exactly is newborn abandonment? – The two definitions
The Legal Definition: Under Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), Section 96, and the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), abandonment of a child under 12 years is a criminal offence. It is classified as exposure and abandonment, punishable as a misdemeanor or felony. The law sees the mother as a perpetrator.
The Psychological definition: In clinical textbooks, newborn abandonment is defined as the intentional, permanent relinquishment of all parental rights, care, and responsibilities over an infant within the first 28 days of life without making formal, legal arrangements for care.
To understand this crisis properly, we must not confuse it with child abandonment. Newborn abandonment happens within 0-28 days of life, often driven by acute panic, denial of pregnancy, or postpartum psychosis where the attachment bond never formed. Child abandonment, on the other hand, involves toddlers to teenagers where a bond existed but collapsed over time due to chronic poverty, family breakdown, or parental burnout. One is an acute crisis of the first month; the other is a chronic breakdown over years. Both are harmful, but they need different interventions.
Psychologically, newborn abandonment is the ultimate rupture of the primary attachment bond. Think of a 19-year-old university student who secretly gives birth alone in her hostel room, wraps the crying baby in a polythene bag, and drops it at a refuse dump at midnight. That is not just a crime scene; it is a scene of extreme panic and psychological dissociation.
Why would a mother carry a baby for 9 months and then abandon it?
This is the question every Ghanaian asks. If you wanted to abandon it, why not abort? The answer is deeply psychological:
1. The psychodynamics of denial of pregnancy: This is a profound defense mechanism, not a lie. The mother’s subconscious mind completely rejects the reality of the pregnancy. She does not gain weight normally, feels no kicks, does not seek antenatal care, and genuinely convinces herself she is not pregnant until sudden, shocking labour pains take her by surprise in a toilet or bedroom.
2. Fantasy of a dissolving problem: This is called cognitive avoidance. She believes “my boyfriend will come back,” “my mother will forgive me,” or “something miraculous will happen before birth.” So she waits, paralyzed, until the baby is here.
3. Barriers to safe abortion: Deep religious guilt, moral anxiety, fear of dying from a back-alley abortion, lack of money for a safe procedure, and family laws force her to carry to term even when she feels incapable.
4. The shock of reality and acute panic: Upon delivery, the physical presence and crying of the newborn shatters all denial. Confronted with immediate exposure, shame, and reality, her brain enters a trauma response — “fight, flight, or freeze.” For many, it becomes “flight” — physically escape the threat of exposure to survive socially. That is why babies are left in places where others will find them -lorry stations, churches, hospitals.
Source:
Counselor Prince Offei, CPAC’s founder, is a leading Mental Health Professional, Marriage Counsellor, Author, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, and Spectator Newspaper Columnist. He writes on relationships, marriage, parenting, special needs support, and their connection to mental health. For therapy, counselling, or enquiries, contact Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Accra on 0559850604 / 0551428486.
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