Otumfuo Osei Tutu II (2nd from right) and Osei Kwame Despite (right), Owner of Despite Auto Museum admiring, one of the cars at the museum at East Legon in Accra. Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO

Featured

Asantehene commissions Despite Auto Museum

Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson Jun - 03 - 2025 , 07:57 3 minutes read

“The place gives a feeling of travelling back in time and into the future of automobiles”.

This was a sentiment shared by many people who trooped to the commissioning of the exquisite and stunning automobile museum established by business mogul, Osei Kwame Despite.

Known as the Despite Auto Museum, the magnificent edifice is a Mecca of beauty, opulence and class and would hold any visitor spellbound by its sheer magnitude and bespoke collection of automobiles.

Located at the heart of East Legon, in Accra, the museum can best be described as a city within a city due to its massiveness and impressive designs, as well as its numerous amenities, serving as a one-stop-shop for making all the senses of the body-touch, sight, smell, taste and sound, being utilised to their maximum.

The museum, a brainchild of Osei Kwame, who has a strong affection and love for cars, decided to turn his private and other collections into a masterpiece of art for public display.

Collections

If the edifice itself is a touch of class, then the collections it houses go beyond class, making the museum stand out as an impressive work of art that can match other collections from any part of the world.

The collections, made of automobile royalty, include a Mercedes Benz Gazelle, produced in 1929, Bugatti Type 35 (1935) Chevrolet Pickup (1937), Cadillac (1940) and Rolls Royce (1956)

Apart from the classic automobiles, the museum also boasts modern versions of exotic cars such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, BMW and McLaren.

Other interesting collections include fuel pumps used in the 1940s, and inspiring words about cars from famous automobile makers such as Henry Ford, Karl Benz, and Enzo Ferrari.

Commissioning

The commissioning of the museum was a true reflection of the edifice itself as it attracted star-studded and notable personalities from the country and other parts of the world.

The dignitaries included the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, who was the special guest of honour; former President John Agyekum Kufuor, the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, who represented President John Mahama; the National Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah; a presidential candidate in the 2024 elections, Nana Kwame Bediako, and businessman, Ibrahim Mahama.

Also in attendance were celebrities such as musician, Michael Owusu Addo, aka Sarkodie; actress, Jackie Appiah, and footballer, Agyeman Badu, among others.

The all-white event which had a party-like theme, started with a tour of the museum and culminated in a music jamboree headlined by many musicians that went deep into the night.

Commendation

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Aseidu Nketiah lauded Osei Kwame Despite for establishing the museum and urged other businessmen to emulate his example by investing in museums.

He said museums play a crucial role in educating people to understand and appreciate their culture and history, adding that Africans must be interested in their history.

“Museums are important educational facilities in every civilisation. I encourage other people to establish facilities like this where the youth will learn about our proud history as Africans,” the chairman added.