Paa Joe was born in 1947 in Akwapim Hills Greater Accra Region, Ghana. He belongs to the Ga-Adangbe community. At the age of sixteen, he started his ten-year apprenticeship from 1960-1970 as a coffin artist in the workshop of his uncle Kane Kwei (1924–1992) in Teshie. In 1977, Paa Joe established his own business in Nungua. In 1989 he participated in a group exhibition Les Magiciens de la terre at the Centre Pompidou, Paris France. His work has been sought out by United States presidents and art galleries. Paa Joe is considered one of the most important Ghanaian coffin artists of his generation. He has participated in numerous major art exhibitions in Europe, Japan, and the United States. He has trained many apprentices in the art of making these fantasy coffins, including his own son and successor, Jacob.