Duncan Williams: A Journey of Grace and Destiny

 

Duncan Williams is a renowned preacher with a voice of authority over men and spirits. He is the presiding Archbishop and General Overseer of Action Chapel International (ACI), a ministry headquartered in Accra, Ghana.

He was born on May 12, 1957, into a broken home, raised by a single mother. His first battle with death occurred at birth—his twin brother did not survive, but Williams did.

Growing up, Duncan Williams faced many challenges. He lacked the love and protection of a father and often struggled to find food. He could not attend school due to financial difficulties.

To survive, he pushed trucks and sold chewing gum on the streets, doing whatever it took to put food on the table.

For 14 years, he lived without seeing his father. His first encounter with him happened at the Borstal Institute, a correctional facility for young offenders.

Feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility of raising him, his mother placed him in the Borstal Institute. It was here that a judge connected him with his father, bringing about their first meeting.

However, this reunion did not bring the comfort he expected. His father had little confidence in him. To his father, Duncan Williams was just another statistic—one among 37 children.

Williams dreamed of going to America, but he lacked the qualifications and the money to apply for a visa. Desperate to escape his struggles, he considered stowing away as an option.

He traveled to Abidjan and sneaked onto a ship bound for Marseille, France. Unfortunately, he was caught and faced the terrifying prospect of being thrown to the sharks in the seas of Morocco.

Just as he was about to be cast into the ocean, grace found him—a man on board the ship pleaded for his life. The crew decided to hide him in the ship’s dungeons until they reached Marseille.

Once in France, he worked at the port for a short time, but because he had no legal documents, he was soon arrested and deported back to Ghana.

A few days after returning to Ghana, Williams ran out of money. Once again, he considered stowing away, this time to Israel.

Determined, he made his way onto a ship heading for Israel, but like the first attempt, he was caught and repatriated once more.

Frustrated with life, he sought help from a native doctor, hoping for a solution. However, to his surprise, the native doctor refused to help him.

At this point, Duncan Williams felt hopeless. His dreams of success in Europe and Israel had failed, but God had other plans for him. Ghana was his place of destiny.

At the age of 20, something extraordinary happened.

One night, around midnight, he woke up from a terrifying nightmare. He suddenly heard a strange voice instructing him to light a candle and place his hands into the flames. Without question, but with intense pain, he obeyed.

As the flames burned his fingers, his lips were sealed, and he could not scream. Only when the pain became unbearable did he finally cry out.

His shouts awakened his siblings, who rushed him to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where he remained hospitalized for months.

During his time in the hospital, he had a supernatural encounter with God that changed his life forever.

Though he had no formal education and could only speak Pidgin English, God placed a new calling on his life.

He went on to establish a new church—Action Chapel International. The church quickly became popular, especially among young people, who saw it as a cathedral of hope, a place of survival, and a sanctuary for healing broken hearts and spirits.

Today, Action Chapel International has branches worldwide, with thousands of members. The ministry’s headquarters remains in Accra, Ghana.

Duncan Williams is also the founder of Dominion University in Ghana. The university’s mission is to train a new generation in excellence and ethical leadership for ministry, government, and business.

In 2012, Duncan Williams became the spiritual father of Paula White, a well-known American evangelist.

In 2017, he led the prayer at the inauguration of the President and Vice President of the United States, making him the first non-American to do so.

That same year, he was recognized by New African Magazine as one of "The 100 Most Influential Africans."