Duffuor is the founder and chairman of HODA Holdings, a business entity comprising Insurance, Banking, Real Estates, Farming, Mining and Media.

He is also the founder and president of the Institute for Fiscal Studies in Ghana, a non-profit think-tank providing economic advocacy and training which he established in March, 2013.

[3][4][5][6][7] In 1958, Kwabena Duffuor entered Prempeh College in Kumasi for his secondary school education through the Ghana Cocoa Marketing Board scholarship, where he obtained both his O-Level and A-Level certificates in 1962 and 1964 respectively.

Between the years 1973 and 1979, while working with GCB Bank, Duffuor obtained a USAID and African Graduate Fellowship Awards to pursue further studies at Syracuse University in New York.

He obtained an MBA in Finance and Banking, an MA in economics in 1975 and a PhD in 1979, all from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at the Syracuse University.

In 1996, he arranged US$100 million Syndicated Facility with Societe General Bank (London) Branch for the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Finance.

In November 1997, an honorary fellowship was conferred on Dr Duffuor by the Institute of Bankers in Ghana for his loyal and meritorious service to the banking industry.

[10] In March 2003, Duffuor was appointed chairman of the Presidential Committee on Promotion and Revitalization of the Industrial Sector on Sustainable Basis.

[14] Duffour filed a nomination form in 2023 to run against John Dramani Mahama as the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, but he later withdrew from the campaign due to concerns about the neutrality and transparency of the party's election process.

In January 2015, TV station Viasat 1 named Dr Duffuor "Man of the Year 2014" in Ghana, for his outstanding success in business.

In July 2015, Duffuor received an Exceptional Achievement Award from GUBA at an event that took place at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, London.

In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the development of this country, the Republic of Ghana conferred on Dr Kwabena Duffuor the State honour of Companion of the Order of the Volta (CV) in December 2015.

[19] The bank's Receivers subsequently sued Duffuor, HODA, his son and a number of others for the return of 5 billion cedis in assets.

[21] His son has also sued the administrator KPMG and its staff alleging deceit and that they aimed to enrich themselves by deliberately misleading the Government into collapsing the bank.