Amoako-Atta was born on 18 December 1920 in Kibi in the Eastern Region of Ghana (then Gold Coast).
He began studies for an external degree from the University of London but was unable to complete his course.
[8] In July 1960 he was appointed Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana and he held this office until 30 April 1964 when he resigned to enter politics.
[10][11] He was elected unopposed in the parliamentary by-election on the ticket of the Convention People's Party.
[13][14] He served in this capacity while doubling as the Minister for Finance until February 1966 when the Nkrumah government was overthrown.
[3] In the post Nkrumah regime, he held various public posts such as serving as a Financial consultant to Tata Brewery in 1974 and serving in the National Redemption Council (NRC) government as a consultant on matters affecting socialist countries from 1973 to 1976.