Frank Nii Boye Aryeetey was born to James Aryee Aryeetey of James Town and Korle Gonno and Kate Emily Fowa Aryeetey (nee Markin) of Abura Dunkwa and Nkawkaw on 8th May 1953. He was born at the Winneba Government Hospital. His father was the Chief Inspector of Produce at the Produce Inspection Division of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and his mother was a private midwife at Nkawkaw.
Education
Nii Boye started his education at the Nkawkaw Methodist Primary School in September 1958. In 1963, together with his siblings, he moved to Radiantway Preparatory School at Korle Gonno, Accra.
He took the Common Entrance Examination in September 1966 and gained admission to Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS), Takoradi. Thus, he followed his brothers, Abraham Nii Teiko Aryeetey and Joseph Mercer, to GSTS. His cousin, Squadron Leader Cornelius Pettingle, had also been influential in getting him to go to GSTS.
At GSTS, it soon became obvious that he was very much interested in the different technical subjects on offer. It was therefore not surprising that he developed an interest in building technology later and enrolled at Takoradi Polytechnic to pursue the HND programme. Upon completion of the first two parts of the programme, he went to KNUST to complete the final part of the programme.
Career
Nii Boye’s association with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) began in 1978 when he did his national service with them. He enjoyed working there very much and subsequently applied for a permanent position. He joined ECG as an Engineering Technician in 1979. He was first posted to the Engineering Directorate. While there, the Premises Division of ECG was created, and he became the first person to be assigned to the new Division.
From there, he worked with his colleagues at various project sites of ECG to oversee the work of contractors. Nii Boye did this until 2013 when he retired from ECG, rising through the system to leave as a Chief Engineering Technician. Nii Boye always had interesting stories about working with different building contractors. There were those that he enjoyed working with, touring the length and breadth of Ghana, inspecting construction projects.
He came home with stories about whether the contractors knew what they were doing or not. If he thought they did not know what they were about, he was unlikely to enjoy working with them, and the stories he brought home reflected his concerns generally. He did not like contractors who took shortcuts in their work.After retiring from ECG in 2013, Nii Boye was hired by Palmers Green Company, a UK-based engineering firm. He worked with them, supervising their construction projects until 2018 when he finally retired.
Family Life
Nii Boye was very much central to life within the Aryeetey and Markin families.He was committed to his brothers and sisters, as well as to the larger network of cousins, nephews and nieces.
Indeed, he was very generous with his time in supporting siblings and other family members in all manner of things. His home at Gbawe became the home of relatives visiting from Abura Dunkwa. Everyone loved to stay with him. All of his nephews and nieces living outside of Ghana always spoke of how much time Uncle Nii Boye had for them whenever they were in town. They could stay with him and be assured that he would drive them to all the places that they needed to go. Very early in his time at ECG, he met and married Agnes Appiagyei, Secretary to the Director of Engineering of the Company. It was a very enjoyable relationship that brought Aggie into the centre of the Aryeetey family at Korle Gonno. The two of them, together with a few other ECG colleagues living at Korle Gonno, turned the Aryeetey home into a ‘common room’ for ECG staff. It was all very enjoyable for everyone. Unfortunately, Nii Boye and Aggie were separated in 2015.
Faith
Nii Boye was a man of strong faith. A baptized Anglican and a confirmed Methodist, he practiced his faith as loudly as he could. He learned how to pray in Fante from his mother, and he did it very well at all family gatherings and other worship events. His prayers were often presented to express thanks to God on behalf of all members of the family and then to cover all that they ask for from God. He loved the charismatic way of worship and was affiliated with several groups that provided him with an opportunity to worship his God in that way. Even when poor health did not make it easy for him to go to church regularly, his faith in God did not diminish, as he spent long hours joining praise and worship sessions on his phone. This became a major part of his daily rituals to the end. Frank died on 26th April 2026 after a short illness.
Nii Boye, rest in peace!