His father was a schoolmaster, Methodist leader, traditional nobleman and, finally, Chief Secretary of Asanteman – a position that gave him considerable influence in Ashanti affairs.
[2][3] During his time in the United Kingdom, he was closely involved with the West African Students' Union (WASU), eventually becoming its president.
In 1945, Joe Appiah went to the Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester, representing the West African Students' Union which was attended by many other future Ghanaian politicians.
Prior to his own death, he served as the kingmaker and titular overlord of Nyaduom, a town that was founded centuries before by his ancestor Nana Akroma-Ampim I.
[7] Joe Appiah died in Accra on 8 July 1990, after an illness, and was buried at Tafo cemetery at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.