céphas bansah grew up in the volta region of ghana, and first visited germany in 1970 during a student exchange program. he took an apprenticeship at the firm "paul schweitzer" in ludwigshafen am rhein, and went on to earn two german master craftsman certificates: the first was a master craftsman as mechanic for agricultural machinery and the second as mechanic for vehicles. he also took up boxing in his spare time, and in 1975 became the district flyweight champion.