Ghana’s tallest man, whose height couldn’t be measured for lack of tools

Sulemana Abdul Samed is Ghana's tallest man (Image credit: @Karugire97/Twitter)

Sulemana Abdul Samed, a 29-year-old from Ghana, was diagnosed with gigantism a few years ago. His rare condition made him a contender for the world’s tallest title. At 7 feet and 4 inches, he towers above houses in his neighbourhood and can’t find shoes his size, but Samed is still about a foot shorter than the current Guinness record-holder for the world’s tallest man – Turkey’s Sultan Kösen who measures 8 feet 2.8 inches.

For a long time, Samed’s height could not be measured for lack of proper tools. According to a BBC report, a local hospital in northern Ghana told him he had reached a height of 9 feet 6 inches. The hospital did not have tools large enough to measure Samed, and could not be sure of his exact measurements.

Their estimate of 9 feet 6 inches was proven to be incorrect when a BBC reporter reached Samed’s hometown with the correct tools to measure his height.

29 year-old Ghanaian diagnosed with Gigantism, measures 9ft 6inchs
A local hospital in northern Ghana told 29-year-old Sulemana Abdul Samed during one of his recent check-ups that he had reached the height of 9 ft 6in (2.89m). This would make him the tallest man in the pic.twitter.com/2c5ip8YwxO

— Collin Koutis (@Karugire97) January 3, 2023

A BBC journalist travelled to Samed’s village, Gambaga, last week with a 16 foot measuring tape and faced another problem. The 29-year-old Ghanaian stands taller than most houses in his neighbourhood, and the journalist could not find a wall tall enough against which to measure him.

An extensive search led to a suitable building taller than Samed, against which his height could be measured. When the results revealed he is shorter than the world’s tallest man, Samed simply remarked, “I'm still growing tall. Who knows, maybe one day I may get to that height too.”