Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was born in New Jersey to Ghanaian parents who emigrated to the US, making him of Ghanaian descent.
Football executive Kwesi Adofo-Mensah serves as the general manager of the NFL Minnesota Vikings.
Before this, he was the Cleveland Browns’ vice president of football operations from 2020 to 2021.
Additionally, from 2013 to 2019, Adofo-Mensah held several executive positions with the San Francisco 49ers.
Adofo-Mensah studied at Princeton University and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics.
During that time, he also tried out for the basketball team, but his interest in football grew over time.
He excelled academically and earned a master’s degree in economics from Stanford University.
Before joining the NFL, Adofo-Mensah worked on Wall Street as a commodities trader and portfolio manager.
What is the definition of competitive rebuild?#Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah let us know almost 18 months ago.
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) December 2, 2024
How you shape shift while still winning.
📽️ @Vikings pic.twitter.com/JeY9vqEUOl
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Had Grown to Take “Fierce Pride” in His Ghanaian Ethnicity
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, on October 12, 1981, to hard-working parents.
Adofo-Mensah credits his family as a constant source of inspiration, and when he needs a boost, he listens to a voicemail left by his late father.
Years ago, his late father had left him a voicemail congratulating him on the Browns’ victory over the Cowboys.
Adofo-Mensah’s parents immigrated from Ghana, and he grew up with his three older brothers; additionally, his parents relocated in 1969, 12 years before his birth.
His parents spoke Fante, a sub-dialect of the language spoken in Ghana and other African countries.
In addition to Asante and Akuapem, which together make up Twi, it is a literary dialect of the Akan language.
Consequently, he had to balance preserving his heritage at home and learning a new culture at school.
At age ten, he returned to Ghana as part of a family custom, which helped him feel closer to his heritage.
Additionally, he lived with an uncle for a year there and spoke Twi to gain firsthand knowledge of the languages and culture of the nation.
Adofo-Mensah claimed to have discovered a “fierce pride” in his Ghanaian heritage when he arrived at Princeton for college.
In addition to carrying beads that symbolize the Ghanaian flag, he sports a necklace adorned with a Ghanaian coin.
His actions demonstrate his deep embracing of his Ghanaian ethnicity and his connection with his roots.
Kwesi and linebacker Brian Asamoah are frequently spotted conversing in Twi, and it appears that their shared Ghanaian heritage has strengthened their bond.
Both are first-generation Americans whose parents left Ghana, a 31 million-person west African nation from which fewer than 1% of NFL players are.
Additional Information
- Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is married to Chelsea Keaulani Adofo-Mensah.
- Behaviour economics and the relationship between human emotion and decision-making piqued Adofo-Mensah’s interest.
- He has a son named Duke Kalei Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
