Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, a central figure in Ghana’s economic policymaking from 2017 to 2023, is undergoing surgery today, Friday, June 13, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota,US.
The procedure — a radical prostatectomy — follows a March 2025 diagnosis of prostate cancer, confirmed after MRI scans and a biopsy revealed signs of the disease’s progression. Medical sources describe the operation as a critical step in halting the spread.
Mr. Ofori-Atta, who also continues to manage a post-COVID Multi-System Inflammatory Response Syndrome since 2021, has been under close medical supervision in the U.S. in recent weeks.
Though he exited office nearly two years ago, Ofori-Atta remains a polarizing figure in Ghanaian politics — often credited and criticized in equal measure for leading controversial economic reforms and IMF negotiations.
Sources close to the family say he is surrounded by loved ones in Minnesota, who will remain by his side through recovery.
His current health situation, while deeply personal, revives public conversation around the toll of political leadership, with some observers noting the intense pressures he faced during one of Ghana’s most turbulent financial periods in recent history.