Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, is a Ghanaian politician, businessman and media proprietor who has served as the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) since 2014.
Known for his flamboyant public persona, mining and media business interests, and a self-described rags-to-riches story, Wontumi became the subject of one of Ghana’s most closely watched criminal prosecutions in 2026, culminating in a 20-year prison sentence over illegal mining offences linked to the Samreboi concession in Ghana’s Western Region.
Profile
| Full Name | Bernard Antwi-Boasiako |
| Stage Name | Chairman Wontumi |
| Date of Birth | May 1, 1976 |
| Age | 50 |
| Birthplace | Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana |
| Nationality | Ghanaian |
| Occupation | Politician; businessman (mining, media, real estate); Ashanti Regional Chairman, New Patriotic Party (NPP) |
| Net Worth | $100 million |
Early Life
Bernard Antwi-Boasiako was born on May 1, 1976, in Kumasi, the capital of Ghana’s Ashanti Region.
He has said he came from a very poor background with a modest upbringing, and information about his parents has not been widely publicly disclosed.
He attended Prempeh College in Kumasi, one of the region’s well-known secondary schools, and has said he completed his education there in 1996, where he was known among classmates by the nickname “Benghazi.”
He has pushed back publicly against reports labelling him illiterate, citing his secondary education at Prempeh College as evidence to the contrary.
Career
Before entering politics, Wontumi built a business career primarily in mining and real estate. He has said he began building his wealth from a young age, claiming to have constructed his first 25-bedroom house in Kumasi at age 22, and has claimed ownership of approximately 100 houses in the city.
He owns a gold mining company, Akonta Mining Limited, operating in Obuasi and other parts of Ghana, and has at times claimed the company generated substantial daily income.
He also founded and serves as CEO of Wontumi Media and Group of Communications, which operates the pro-NPP outlets Wontumi Radio and Movement TV, competing in the Twi-language mass media market in Kumasi and Accra since 2020.
Politically, Wontumi rose within the New Patriotic Party as a grassroots mobiliser, beginning as NPP chairman for the Bosomtwe constituency before being elected Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP in January 2014, a position he has held since.
As the party’s most visible and influential regional chairman, he has played a central role in NPP mobilisation, fundraising and grassroots organisation in the Ashanti Region, historically the party’s electoral stronghold.
He was reported to have been actively campaigning for the NPP National Chairman position ahead of the party’s internal elections. Following the NPP’s defeat in Ghana’s 2024 general election, Wontumi reportedly relocated temporarily to London, including a visit to Croydon, where he has said he once worked as a cleaner early in his life, while an NPP internal committee, chaired by former Speaker of Parliament Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, investigated the party’s electoral loss.
Legal Troubles and 2026 Conviction
Wontumi faced legal action in connection with allegations of illegal mining activity, commonly known in Ghana as “galamsey.” The case centred on a police anti-illegal-mining operation conducted at the Samreboi concession in Ghana’s Western Region on April 16 and 17, 2025, during which 29 people were arrested and authorities seized 25 excavators, firearms, vehicles and approximately GH¢157,000 in cash.
Wontumi, along with his company Akonta Mining Limited and a co-accused, Kwame Antwi, were tried before the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court on charges under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended by the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2020 (Act 995).
On July 20, 2026, presiding judge Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay convicted Wontumi on multiple counts, including unauthorised assignment of mining rights and purposely facilitating an unlicensed mining operation, after ruling that the prosecution had proven the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
In reaching her decision, the judge held that Akonta Mining’s corporate veil could be lifted given that the company lacked a functional board of directors and that Wontumi exercised effective personal control over its mining activities, making him personally liable as the company’s de facto controller.
The court dismissed a last-minute defence application, filed July 16, 2026, seeking to delay judgment and refer constitutional questions to the Supreme Court, ruling that no genuine constitutional ambiguity existed.
Justice Kocuvie-Tay sentenced Wontumi to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour, to run concurrently across the relevant counts, along with fines of 10,000 penalty units per count (equivalent to approximately GH¢120,000), with a default sentence of three years’ imprisonment if unpaid; the default term was ordered to run concurrently with the main sentence. Akonta Mining Limited was separately convicted on two counts and fined 15,000 penalty units per count.
The judge acknowledged that Wontumi was a first-time offender with no previous criminal record but held that the seriousness of the offences warranted a custodial sentence.
The conviction and sentencing, delivered on July 20, 2026, marked one of the most high-profile convictions of a sitting regional party executive in Ghana’s Fourth Republic and disrupted his active bid for the NPP National Chairman position.
Following the sentencing, some NPP figures, including lawyer Martin Kpebu, publicly argued the conviction rendered Wontumi unfit to seek the National Chairman role, while the NPP itself, through some spokespersons, alleged the conviction was based on assumptions rather than clear evidence. As of this writing, it remains to be seen whether Wontumi’s legal team will pursue an appeal.
Awards & Nominations
No verified formal awards or nominations are currently available.
Personal Life
Public information about Wontumi’s marital status, wives and children varies across sources and has not been fully independently verified; some Ghanaian media reports have referenced multiple wives and children, though exact, confirmed details are limited.
He has described his path from a poor upbringing in Kumasi, including a period working as a cleaner in the United Kingdom, to substantial wealth in mining, real estate and media as central to his personal and political brand in Ghana.
Net Worth
Some Ghanaian media outlets have estimated Wontumi’s net worth at approximately $100 million, based on his claimed mining income, real estate holdings (reportedly around 100 houses in Kumasi) and media business; this figure has not been independently verified and is separate from the fines imposed in connection with his 2026 criminal conviction.
Business Ventures
- Akonta Mining Limited — gold mining company, Obuasi and other locations in Ghana
- HANSOL Mining Limited — mining interests
- Wontumi Media and Group of Communications — CEO/founder, operating Wontumi Radio and Movement TV (since 2020)
- Extensive real estate holdings in Kumasi, Ashanti Region
Political Achievements
- NPP Chairman, Bosomtwe constituency (early political role)
- Ashanti Regional Chairman, New Patriotic Party (since January 25, 2014)
- Active campaigner for NPP National Chairman position (2026, disrupted by conviction)
Conclusion
Chairman Wontumi’s rise from a self-described impoverished background in Kumasi to becoming one of Ghana’s most prominent and controversial political and business figures reflects both the opportunities and scrutiny that come with high-profile regional party leadership in Ghana.
His 20-year prison sentence, handed down on July 20, 2026, over illegal mining offences marks a dramatic turning point in his political career and is expected to have lasting implications for the NPP’s internal leadership structure and its broader stance on illegal mining ahead of Ghana’s 2028 elections.
