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Adwoa Safo has publicly recognised her brother, Israel Kwadwo Safo, also known as Akofena, as the head of both the Kantanka Family and the Kristo Asafo Church, according to a statement she released on Thursday, October 8, 2026, as reported by Pulse Ghana.
The declaration closes a period of open disagreement within the family over who should take charge of the Kristo Asafo Mission following the death of their father, Apostle Dr Kwadwo Safo, in September 2025.
In the statement, Adwoa Safo said her decision was intended to bring the family back together, encourage reconciliation and safeguard the legacy left behind by their father. She described her choice as one of conciliation rather than division, and said she continues to hold deep respect and affection for her brother.
"I have chosen the path of conciliation, founded upon love, mutual respect and the enduring undisputed bonds of family," she said, according to Pulse Ghana. "I have immense love and respect for my brother, Israel Kwadwo Safo, and in the spirit of honouring our father's wishes, I publicly acknowledge and accept him as the Leader of the Kantanka Family and the Kristo Asafo Church."
She added that she was ready to work with Akofena and her other siblings to carry forward the work and vision their father established. She also urged the family to leave behind the disputes that followed his death.
"The time has come for us, as a family, to transcend whatever differences, misunderstandings or grievances that may have characterised the immediate aftermath of the demise of our dear dad and consign them to history," she said.
Why it matters
The Kristo Asafo Mission and the Kantanka brand are closely tied to the late Apostle Kwadwo Safo, who founded the church and built a following around his teachings, inventions and business ventures. Questions about who would lead after his death therefore carried weight not only for his immediate family but also for the congregation and the wider network of institutions associated with his name.
The dispute had been public for months. In June 2026, family members contested Akofena's claim to lead the Kristo Asafo Mission, arguing that the succession arrangements put in place by the founder should continue to apply. At that point, the family also named Adwoa Safo as Head of the Kwadwo Safo Family and its principal representative, according to Pulse Ghana.
Her latest statement reverses that position in practical terms. By acknowledging her brother as leader of both the family and the church, she has removed one of the most visible points of friction in the succession row. The move shifts the public conversation from contestation to cooperation, at least on her side.
From dispute to reconciliation
The disagreement became public knowledge in mid-2026, when relatives of the late Apostle disputed Akofena's authority over the Kristo Asafo Mission. Those family members insisted that the founder's own succession plan should be respected, Pulse Ghana reported. The same group recognised Adwoa Safo as the head of the Kwadwo Safo Family and its main representative.
That arrangement placed two siblings in overlapping leadership positions — one over the church mission, another over the family — and set up months of uncertainty about how the two roles would relate to each other.
Adwoa Safo's October 8 statement resolves that ambiguity from her side. She now accepts Akofena's leadership of both the Kantanka Family and the Kristo Asafo Church, and frames the earlier disagreements as a phase the family should move past.
She also appealed to members of the Kristo Asafo Church and the broader Kantanka family to support the renewed push for unity. In her view, protecting their father's legacy is a shared duty among his children rather than the burden of any single person.
"Our father's legacy transcends any one individual. It is a collective inheritance and a profound responsibility entrusted to us, as his children," she said, according to Pulse Ghana.
A former MP's intervention
Adwoa Safo is a former Member of Parliament, and her public profile gives her statement added weight beyond the family circle. Her endorsement of Akofena is likely to be read by church members and followers of the late Apostle as a signal that the internal contest over leadership is winding down.
The statement does not detail any new administrative arrangements for the church or the family's business interests. It focuses instead on tone and intent: reconciliation, respect for their father's wishes and a call for cooperation. That framing leaves room for the family to work out practical questions privately while presenting a united front publicly.
What the statement does make clear is that Adwoa Safo no longer contests her brother's position. She describes her decision as deliberate, rooted in family bonds and in what she believes their father would have wanted.
Whether other family members who previously disputed Akofena's claim will follow her lead is not addressed in the statement. The June 2026 position was presented as a family stance, and Adwoa Safo was named as its principal representative at the time. Her shift therefore raises the question of how the relatives who stood with her then will respond now.
What to watch
The immediate focus will be on how the Kristo Asafo Church and the wider Kantanka family receive the statement, and whether other relatives who contested the succession publicly align themselves with Akofena in the coming weeks.
