Profile
Donald Gwira: Martial arts legend, corporate communications giant
Mr. Donald Gwira might not need much introduction in corporate circles. He is an astute professional with solid background in Corporate Communication, Development, Advocacy and Project Management.
But this is not all that he is made of. He is a force to reckon with and cannot be underestimated in the art of self-defence as he holds fifth degree black belt in African Goju.
The Spectator recently interacted with the legend who has earned the title “Great Warrior” for his exceptional tactics and contribution to the sport in Ghana and abroad.
Exposure
Highlighting his progression through various forms of martial art, Mr. Gwira acknowledged the influence of his three siblings who were all well-versed in the sport.
According to him, the interest grew at age 12 following his exposure to Kunfu movies and had to study under his elder brother, Danny Gwira, in the early 70s at Adisadel College.
“When my brother left, I took over and started teaching [martial arts] in form two at Adisadel College. We organised martial art competitions, did a lot of demonstrations and started spreading martial arts in schools in Cape Coast,” he recalled.
After secondary school, he continued his education at American College in France (now American University of Paris) where he started a martial art institute before proceeding to Howard University in the United States of America (USA) for his Master’s Degree.
At Howard University, he again formed clubs and continued teaching and sharpening his skills until he returned to Ghana.
“I started with Taekwondo, moved on to Shotokan (Japanese form of martial art), and then to Chinese Goju and later migrated to African Goju, which was started by my brother,” he noted.
In 1979, young Donald obtained his first degree black belt and kept training until he secured his fifth degree black belt in 1995. He stopped teaching martial art in 1998 but continued to maintain regular exercise and fitness regime at home to enhance his health and physique.
“The more I trained, the better I became. At my age, I still keep fit; I do a lot of walks every day and I sometimes do sit ups and push ups at home or at the gym to stay active,” he said.
Achievement
The flying kick specialist set an unbeaten record in 1979 after jumping over 12 people to break a two-inch-thick tile at the Burma Camp when the Martial Art Institute did a demonstration for the Ghana Army.
That same year, he was crowned ‘Martial Artist of the Year’ and went ahead to be adjudged the ‘Best Kata’ and ‘Best Breaking’ in 1980 and 1981 respectively. ‘Kata’, he explained, “are a series of leg and hand movements that help one defend him or herself from more than one attacker.”
In 2010, he was named Life Patron and inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Martial Arts Institute for his ‘’outstanding and appreciable’’ contribution to African Goju in France, the USA and Ghana.
He and his three brothers, on separate occasions, were responsible for training the personal body guards of former Head of State, General Kutu Acheampong.
With over 40 years experience in the art, Mr. Gwira continues to attend karate and martial arts tournaments organised locally and looks forward to training more young people to accomplish more than he has achieved.
Corporate Experience
The fighter holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs from American University in Paris, and a Master’s in Political Science from Howard University, USA.
Currently an Independent Communications Consultant, he worked at Airtel Ghana, Guinness Ghana Breweries, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IABP), among other organisations and served also on boards of some public institutions, including New Times Corporation, publishers of Ghanaian Times and The Spectator.
In 2017, he was named one of the ‘Most Impactful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Leader’ while at Afriwave Telecom as Corporate Affairs Director.
He said the philosophies of martial art which became useful in aspects of his career, could be applied to personal and business endeavours, stressing that discipline, timeliness and preparation should guide young people in the corporate world.
“In martial art, you have to get your timing right; if you miss a split second, you get hit. When you transfer this into real life, it helps you to be more productive,” he said.
The powerhouse of martial arts, therefore, advocates that Martial Arts should be taught in basic schools while efforts be made to develop other forms of sport, apart from football.
Other Engagements
Mr. Gwira, from Elmina in the Central Region, is married to Mrs. Frances Gwira with four children. He is a member of the Agape Church at East Legon, Accra.
All his children, he said, had taken up one form of sport or the other with the youngest, a promising swimmer, aiming to win Gold for the Black Dolphins at future Olympics.
Admitting the rewards of martial art, he noted that those willing to take up the art should be ready to train everyday adding that progress depended on how fast one was able to learn the techniques.
Asked how long one must study martial art, he said: “There is no stopping; the only ingredient is to keep practising everyday.”
All things being equal, the 61-year-old would want to attain a Ninth Degree Black Belt in Martial Art.
By Ernest Nutsugah
He once sold kenkey to pay his school fees, and now wears the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police. DCOP Kofi Sarpong, police officer and award winning gospel musician is charting a journey few could script.
In an interview with The Spectator chronicling his rise, the newly promoted DCOP took us on his journey through the ranks.
Early Life
“I was born in Berekum in the Bono Region, then Brong Ahafo, to Comfort Yeboah, affectionately called Maame Yaa, and the late Chief Inspector Kofi Sarpong,” he said.
His family story is one of resilience. His mother had two children before her husband died in an accident. She later married Kofi Sarpong’s father, a police officer, and had two more, himself and his junior brother. “So we are four, unfortunately one is deceased, just last year, so we are three now.”
School and struggle
He started at Berekum Methodist Primary under the old ‘Sito’ system. In Form Two, he moved to Obuasi to stay with a guardian for his Form Three education, then returned to Berekum for Form Four. He later attended Berekum Senior High School where he studied General Arts and shone as an athlete, a sprinter in the 100m, 200m and 4x400m relay.
After O-Levels, his batch was the last to write the exams, his dream was to become a teacher because of his love for children. But financial hardship forced a detour.
“I decided to help myself by going to buy maize and started preparing kenkey to sell at lorry parks and markets in Berekum,” he recalled.
According to him, the people from Berekum know this story. “I can make all types of kenkey, Fante Kenkey, Ga Komi and others. Don’t be surprised to see Kofi Sarpong Kenkey one day.” The proceeds paid his upkeep.
For this reason, he advised the youth “Don’t see life as a smooth journey but find something prudent to do to help yourself in difficult times.”
After grinding his education to a halt due to financial challenges, he now holds a Degree in Public Administration from GIMPA, a Master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy and Project Management, plus other higher certificates, with more in the offing.
The Police Call
When teaching did not materialise immediately, he moved to stay with his father at Osu, Accra. In 1994, he visited former IGP Nana Owusu-Nsia at Police Headquarters, who told about ongoing police enlistment.
In his head he declined, but outwardly he accepted to try reluctantly. Later, watching TV news and seeing long queues of young people aspiring to join the Police, he was inspired to reconsider.
He went to Berekum for his certificate. Accra enlistment had closed, so he joined the Kumasi exercise. He was selected, passed the exams and went to the Koforidua Police Training School, Galloway. After passing out, he was posted to the Logistics Unit at Police Headquarters.
At Headquarters, a senior officer encouraged young constables to further their education. He took a course in Purchasing and Supply via distance learning from a UK institution. 
Upon completion, the Police administration promoted him from Constable Class One to Chief Inspector, a leap that paved the way for him to enrol at the Police Academy. He graduated as ASP, and the climb to DCOP began.
“The officer corps starts from Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) from the cadet,” he explained. “When you graduate from the Police Academy, you are awarded ASP, and you move to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), that’s when I released album to start my music career professionally.”
From there, he rose to Superintendent of Police (SP), Chief Superintendent, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), and now Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP). Next is Commissioner of Police (COP).
Music found him in Sudan
On peacekeeping duty in Sudan, officers from different nations came together to hold fellowship led by a Nigerian officer. In December that year, with top-ranked officers present, Kofi Sarpong led the service to the admiration of all.
On his return to Ghana, a Colonel, who was a Matron at 37 Military Hospital and a member of the 37 Methodist-Presbyterian Church invited him to their harvest service. He ministered, and as he stepped out of church, a man approached him with an offer to record him. He declined.
Days later, at the office, the man, Ernest Kwesi, who owned Media Excel Production sent an elderly man to pursue him. He still declined. This compelled Ernest Kwesi himself to visit him at the office. “He told me he had seen something in me.”
Just after Ernest Kwesi left,Kofi Sarpong wrote to then Director General/Welfare, Mohammed Alhassan, and Paul Tawiah Quaye the Inspector General of Police (IGP) at the time. “He opened the letter and said he had been waiting all this while because he had seen me perform at police officers’ events.”
He was summoned to the IGP’s office, a call which scared him, however, it was a good news; his request was approved. Against this backdrop, he informed Ernest Kwesi who quickly visited that evening with highlife musician Akwaboah Jnr., who taught him his first song, ‘Me ko nso hw3 mu’, and they went to the studio.
A song earlier recorded in reggae by Zapp Mallet was totally transformed by Nacee, so they released both versions on the album. Nacee, he says, hugely supported promotion, as did Mark Okraku-Mantey.
He also acknowledge Oware Jnr. who also wrote songs for him.
After his maiden album’s success, police leadership congratulated him. He says he is happy to have inspired other officers to write to the Service to pursue other interests.
An autobiography, he reveals, is in the offing.
Family and food
He is married to Mrs Salomey Sarpong with three children, two boys and a girl: Nana Nketiah, Maame Afia Yeboah Sarpong and Papa Kwabena Aseda Sarpong.
His hobbies are watching athletics and being with family. His favourite foods are fufu and konkonte with groundnut soup.
On music, he teased a collaboration with a top Nigerian artiste, promising fans “hot praises” soon.
He concluded by thanking Ghanaians for their support since his promotion, and thanked the Inspector General of Police for his guidance.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
WHEN some of her pupils failed to show up at school, Mary Adotei did not always assume they were absent. Sometimes, she went looking for them.
In the communities where she taught, getting a child into the classroom could require more than preparing lessons. Mrs Adotei remembers occasions when she had to visit the homes of pupils, bathe them, prepare them and bring them to school herself.
“There were times I had to go to the homes of some of the children, bathe them and bring them to school,” she recalled.
It is a memory that captures much of her journey over the years as a teacher, a profession she entered without knowing it would become central to her identity.
Now, after years of working with children and communities, Mrs Adotei is taking lessons from the classroom into a new arena.
She is contesting the position of Women’s Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Asikuma Odoben Brakwa (AOB) Constituency in the Central Region, hoping to use her experience working with people to contribute to the welfare of women in the constituency.
But her story begins in the classroom.
After completing her basic and secondary education, Mrs Adotei spent 12 years working as a pupil teacher before she had the opportunity to receive professional training.
In 2006, she entered Fosu College of Education and completed her training in 2011 with a Diploma in Basic Education.
She returned to the classroom and has remained there since, teaching in different communities before moving to her current school, Catholic Boys Basic School in Breman Asikuma, in 2019.
The years have given her a front-row seat to the transformation education can bring.
Some of the children she once taught have grown into professionals, carrying the lessons they learnt in her classroom into hospitals, schools, offices and other workplaces.
Mrs Adotei said she had encountered former pupils who were now doctors, nurses, teachers and even a lawyer.
For a teacher, she said, such moments bring a special kind of satisfaction and reinforce the reason she remains passionate about education.
Her journey, however, has not been without difficult moments.
Teaching in local communities sometimes meant dealing with circumstances that went beyond academic work. Some pupils needed encouragement, personal attention and practical help before they could even settle down to learn.
Those experiences taught her that the challenges confronting people cannot always be solved from a distance. That understanding has followed her into her political activities.
Mrs Adotei has been involved in the NDC for years and previously served as a branch treasurer. She has also supported women in her branch, including assisting some to access medical treatment and providing help to families when the need arose.
She is now making her third attempt at becoming the constituency’s Women’s Organiser.
Her motivation is linked to what she has seen around her.
Mrs Adotei wants women in the constituency to have access to skills and opportunities that can help them become more economically independent.
She believes her years as a teacher have prepared her for the work, too, because the profession has taught her to listen, communicate, understand different circumstances and work patiently with people.
For her, the transition from teacher to political organiser is therefore not a complete departure from the path she has followed.
The classroom taught her to work with individuals. Politics, she hopes, will give her the opportunity to work with a wider group of women.
If elected, Mrs Adotei intends to continue teaching while taking up her political responsibilities. She said she would organise her time to attend meetings and constituency activities without abandoning her duties to her pupils.
Away from school and politics, she is a wife and mother of two sons who are pursuing their degrees at university.
Her message to young girls is shaped by everything she has seen education do for the children she has taught.
For Mrs Adotei, education remains one of the strongest tools available to young people, especially girls seeking to build better futures.
She wants them to stay in school, pursue further education and acquire skills that will prepare them for the future.
“Nowadays, you cannot go forward without education,” she said.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
