AKwasi Boakye, a Ghanaian who later rose to become Africa’s first astute Civil Engineer, was born to Kwaku Dua II, King of the Ashanti Kingdom.
He was born in April, 1827.
Boakye together with his cousin Kwame Poku were sent to the Netherlands in 1837 to be formally educated as part of extensive negotiations between the Ashanti Kingdom and the Dutch government concerning the recruitment of individuals into the Dutch East Indies Army since forcefully enlisting slaves became illegal and unacceptable.
Akwasi Boakye was the eldest son of Kwaku Dua II. Upon receiving a portion of the agreed sum, Kwaku Dua II presented Bokaye and Kwame Poku, both aged 10, to Holland.
They were sent to the Governor in Gijzel.
Both were trained in the Christian faith and got baptized at the Dutch Reformed Church of Delft in 1843.
Akwasi Boakye had his tertiary training as a mining engineer at Delft University and graduated in 1847. Meanwhile, his cousin Kwame Poku returned to Gold Coast, now Ghana.
He successfully finished his civil engineering examinations in 1847 and was thereafter appointed as a mining engineer. Unlike his peers, he attended the mining academy in Freiberg, Saxony, from July 1847 to July 1848, where he received instruction from the renowned Bernhard von Cotta.
He was posted in 1850 to the Dutch East Indies but despite exceptional talent, he was treated poorly by his superior, Cornelius de Groot van Embden.
He relinquished his position and sought a public service role. After a judicial dispute, Akwasi Boakye received a monetary reward and an estate located south of Buitenzorg in contemporary West Java, Indonesia.
He joined the Association of Civil Engineers, which was subsequently renamed the Association of Delft Engineers. He rejoined in 1871 as a member and correspondent for the Dutch East Indies. He received honorary membership in 1893.
Boakye died on June 9 1904.
