Isaac Ackah Benson (front row center, in black suit).
Photo courtesy of Kojo Polley-Kwofie.
Benson, Isaac Ackah (1902–1985)
By Kojo Polley-Kwofie
Kojo Polley-Kwofie, M.B.A. (Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Ghana, Africa), is an author, associate treasurer of South-West Ghana Conference, and member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana. He worked at the Ghana Education Service for 12 years before joining pastoral ministry. He has worked as a district pastor in South Ghana Conference and Mid-South Ghana Conference and as treasurer of Pioneer Ghana Conference. He is married and has five children.
First Published: February 10, 2022
Adventist minister Isaac Ackah Benson was born in 1902 at Kikam, Ghana. His father was Egya Binzunwa, and his mother was Mame Alua, both from Kikam. I. A. Benson attended the Adventist school at Kikam. In his era, the students were trained mainly in English, arithmetic, (mathematics), religious studies, and evangelism. From time to time, some of the students were taken to the Ashanti Region for evangelism. Benson was among the fourth and last group of students who were taken from the school to the Ashanti Region for evangelism.1
Benson started his career as a teacher and an evangelist. He was posted to Akyim Oda in the late 1930s. In 1941, he moved to Tarkwa where he spent four years. He transferred to Takoradi in 1945 and worked there until 1952. From 1952 to 1954, he worked at Koforidua as both a district pastor and the regional manager for the Adventist schools.
After twenty years of service, Benson was ordained into the gospel ministry in 1948 at Bekwai during the annual camp meeting. He served as an executive committee member of the Ghana mission in 1950. He was transferred back to Takoradi and worked there from 1955 to 1958 as both a district pastor and a regional manager for the Adventist schools. After twenty-eight years in ministry, Benson was elected to join the staff at Ghana Mission Headquarters in Kumasi. He was first elected lay activities secretary (now personal ministries director) as well as home missionary secretary in 1959. While C. B. Mensah served as the first Ghanaian national mission president, Benson also served as the first Ghanaian national personal ministry director.
Benson was noted for coining memorable terms and phrases. He referred to the salary of pastors as “holy money” because it was taken out of tithe. He is also remembered for the holding of several positions in the church some of which have been indicated above.
With his first wife, Mame Manyi, Benson had one daughter, Adwo Benson. After Mame Manyi’s death, he married Hannah Ackah Benson (1891-2006). They had one son, Isaac Ackah Benson.
Four years before his retirement, Benson was again sent to Takoradi, where he served both as a district pastor and regional manager for education from 1969 to 1973. He finally retired in 1973 and settled in his home town, Kikam. He died at Kikam in 1985, leaving behind his wife and two children.2 Hannah Agyeiba Ackah Benson (1896-2006) lived for 110 years, a record for the Adventist Church in Ghana.
I. A. Benson is remembered for initiating radio evangelism in the Adventist Church while serving as the lay activities or personal ministries director of the Ghana Mission in Kumasi.
Sources
Ansah, Ayiem. A Short History of The Seventh-day Adventist Church of Ghana. Accra: New Times Corporation, 1976.
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