Ayi Kwei Armah (born 28 October 1939) is an acclaimed Ghanaian writer known for his powerful novels, essays, poetry, short stories, and children's books. His notable works include The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1968), Two Thousand Seasons (1973), and The Healers (1978).

Born to Fante-speaking parents in the port city of Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, Armah's paternal heritage links him to a royal family in the Ga tribe. He attended the renowned Achimota School and then moved to the United States in 1959 to attend Groton School in Massachusetts. Following his graduation, he pursued sociology at Harvard University. After his studies, he worked in Algeria as a translator for the magazine Révolution Africaine.

In 1964, Armah returned to Ghana to work as a scriptwriter for Ghana Television and later taught English at the Navrongo School. He also served as an editor for Jeune Afrique magazine in Paris between 1967 and 1968. From 1968 to 1970, he achieved his MFA in creative writing at Columbia University.