Ghanaian business magnate Richard Nii Armah Quaye has finally broken his silence following the social media talks surrounding his divorce from his ex-wife, Joana Coffie.
In snippets of an upcoming interview with media personality Deloris Frimpong Manso, popularly known as Delay, shared online on Friday, April 24, 2026, the founder of Bills Micro Credit Limited strongly refuted claims that his ex-wife played a defining role in building his wealth.
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According to him, narratives suggesting that Joana Coffie sacrificed significantly to help him achieve success are largely inaccurate.
He emphazised that he had already established his business and had begun making money before marriage.
“I was working before I married her. I started my business before I married her. I started making money before I went to marry her, and I funded our wedding. If I didn’t have money, I couldn’t have married her, because we had a very luxurious wedding. I had money before marrying her… All the things you have heard, 99% of it isn’t true,” he stated.
Richard Nii Armah emphasized that the scale and luxury of their wedding ceremony alone should serve as proof of his financial standing at the time, adding that he single-handedly financed the event.
When Delay showed a photo of himself and his ex-wife that has widely been circulated online after the divorce to suggest he was broke then, Richard brushed it off and provided some clarity.
In his defense, he mentioned that the said photo dates back to a day he took his ex-wife to a function outside and on the said day he even drove her to the event and back in his fully air-conditioned VW Passat, which suggests he was well to do.
Watch the video below for more…
Background to this whole brouhaha
The businessman’s comments come in the wake of a highly publicized divorce ruling by an Accra High Court, which awarded Joana Coffie a settlement that included GH¢300,000, a share of their matrimonial home, two vehicles, and monthly child support.
The ruling has since sparked nationwide debate, particularly after reports indicated that Joana had initially sought a much larger financial settlement running into millions of cedis. The significant disparity between her claim and the court’s final award fueled widespread reactions across social media and legal circles.
The controversy deepened further following reports that the court remarked that marriage should not be treated as an investment, a statement that drew criticism from advocacy groups and reignited discussions about marital property rights in Ghana.
However, court documents filed by Joana Coffie at the Dansoman High Court present a sharply different account of the couple’s journey.
According to her petition, their relationship dates back to 2002, shortly after completing Senior High School. She claims that both parties started from modest beginnings, working small jobs to support themselves while building a future together.
The documents state that Joana worked as a shop attendant in a Makola textile boutique, while Richard worked at his mother’s drinking bar. Together, they reportedly saved money with the aim of pursuing higher education.
Joana’s filing further indicates that although both enrolled in university, she had to drop out after their first year due to financial challenges. She then allegedly took up multiple jobs, including working at a restaurant, to continue supporting their shared ambitions.
According to the court records, the couple later opened a joint account with SG SSB Bank, where Joana consistently saved her earnings. These savings were subsequently invested in a Databank product, which reportedly matured to over GH¢10,000 by 2018.
The documents also claim that these joint financial efforts contributed to Richard’s eventual opportunity to study in the United Kingdom. After his return to Ghana in 2009, Joana is said to have been working as a temporary teller at Unibank’s Kaneshie branch while he searched for opportunities.
Perhaps most significantly, the filing alleges that Joana invested about GH¢3,000 of her savings into a business idea proposed by Richard and a partner, an investment she claims contributed to the establishment of what later became Bills Micro Credit Limited.