Owusu Anane is the son of immigrants from Ghana. Councilman Anane has made a substantial impact on the everyday lives of the people in his neighborhood in the City of Albany. He passed legislation that waives civil service exam application fees for military service veterans and recent high school graduates; he co-sponsored legislation that allows residents to have backyard chickens to support sustainable urban farming; and he championed the financing and installation of new energy efficient lighting owned and operated by the city. Owusu encourages and assists entrepreneurs setting up local businesses, facilitated the rehabilitation and sale of properties that have been vacant for over 10 years, and secured a dozen bicycle racks for his district.
In addition to these accomplishments, Councilman Anane has spearheaded a conversation about developing a citywide municipal internet service to address Albany’s digital divide. He successfully led a campaign to pressure SUNY Polytechnic Institute's Fuller Road Management Corporation, a large tax-exempt entity, to fulfill their promise to provide $1 million in voluntary contributions to the city after years of neglecting this. Owusu also helped defeat a proposed ordinance that would have unnecessarily doubled towing fees. Councilman Anane has also helped lead efforts for police reform in the City of Albany.