Akufo-Addo went to the Government Boys School and the Rowe Road School in Accra. His secondary school was Lacing College in England, where he studied from 1957 to 1961.

He enrolled at the University of Ghana in Accra in 1964 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1967.

He later returned to the United Kingdom to study law. He was admitted to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in 1971, and the Ghana Bar in 1975.

In 1992, Akufo-Addo joined the New Patriotic Party and ran for Ghana’s parliament. Between 1996 and 2008, he spent three terms in parliament.

He previously served as Minister of Justice in the national government from 2001 to 2003, and as Foreign Minister from 2003 to 2007

In 2008, Akufo-Addo became the flagbearer for the NPP ahead of the December 2008 elections. He received 49% of the vote, falling short of the 50%+1 threshold required for victory.

A runoff election was held, with Akufo-Addo receiving 49.7% of the vote and the winner, John Evans Atta Mills, receiving 50.23 percent.

Akufo-Addo lost a close race for president again in 2012. He and his party filed a legal challenge, citing election irregularities.

The Supreme Court ruled against Akufo-Addo. He accepted the judgment and urged his supporters to do the same. Failing his second attempt at the presidency.

In the 2016 election, Akufo-Addo made his third and possibly final attempt at landing the top job in the land.

On the back of huge campaign promises such as Free SHS, One District One Factory, One Constituency One Ambulance, amongst other promises, won the election on December 7, 2016 and was sworn in on January 7, 2017.

However, the 2020 election saw a legal challenge to his victory. The Supreme Court rejected the case, and Akufo-Addo was sworn in for his second term on January 7, 2021.

President Akufo-Addo has been criticised for his project to build a national cathedral at an estimated cost of $200 million.

Also, the Akufo-Addo government eventually withdrew the Agyapa Gold Royalties deal from parliament. The deal was also heavily criticised for its lack of transparency.

Nonetheless, President Akufo-Addo is credited with championing education amongst Ghanaian youth through the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy policy.