Ako Adjei
Ako Adjei (17 June 1916 – 14 January 2002), was a Ghanaian statesman, politician, lawyer and journalist. He was a member of the United Gold Coast Convention and one of six leaders who were detained during Ghana's struggle for political independence from Britain, a group famously called The Big Six. He has been recognized as a founding father of Ghana for his active participation in the immediate politics of Ghana's pre-independence era. Adjei became a member of parliament as a Convention People's Party candidate in 1954 and held ministerial offices until 1962 when as Minister for Foreign Affairs he was wrongfully detained for the Kulungugu bomb attack.
Hon. Ako Adjei O.S.G | |
|---|---|
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office May 1961 – August 1962 | |
| President | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Preceded by | New portfolio |
| Succeeded by | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Minister for External Affairs | |
| In office April 1959 – May 1961 | |
| Prime Minister | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Preceded by | Kojo Botsio |
| Succeeded by | Portfolio changed |
| Resident Minister to Guinea | |
| In office February 1959 – September 1959 | |
| Prime Minister | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Preceded by | Nathaniel Azarco Welbeck |
| Succeeded by | J. H. Allassani |
| Minister for Labour and Cooperatives | |
| In office 1958 – February 1959 | |
| Prime Minister | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Preceded by | Nathaniel Azarco Welbeck |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel Azarco Welbeck |
| Minister for Justice | |
| In office August 1957 – 1958 | |
| Prime Minister | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Preceded by | New |
| Succeeded by | Kofi Asante Ofori-Atta (Minister for Justice and Local Government) |
| Minister for Interior and Justice | |
| In office 29 February 1956 – August 1957 | |
| Governor General | Charles Arden-Clarke |
| Prime Minister | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Preceded by | Archie Casely-Hayford (Minister for Interior) |
| Succeeded by | Krobo Edusei (Minister for Interior) |
| Minister for Trade and Labour | |
| In office 1954 – 29 February 1956 | |
| Governor General | Charles Arden-Clarke |
| Prime Minister | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Preceded by | New |
| Succeeded by | Edward Okyere Asafu-Adjaye |
| Member of the Ghana Parliament for Accra East | |
| In office 15 June 1954 – August 1962 | |
| Preceded by | New |
| Succeeded by | Ehi Wanyalolo Note Dowuona |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ebenezer Ako Adjei 17 June 1916 Adjeikrom, Akyem Abuakwa, Ghana |
| Died | 14 January 2002 (aged 85) Accra, Ghana |
| Political party | Convention People's Party |
| Other political affiliations | United Gold Coast Convention |
| Spouse | Theodosia Kotei-Amon |
| Children | 3 daughters |
| Residence(s) | Accra, Ghana |
| Education | Accra Academy |
| Alma mater |
|
| Occupation | politician |
| Signature | |
| One of "The Big Six" in Ghana's independence struggle | |
Born in Adjeikrom, a small village in the Akyem Abuakwa area, Ako Adjei had his tertiary education in the United States and the United Kingdom. After his studies abroad, he returned home to join the movement of Gold Coast's struggle for political independence by joining the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) as a founding member. Ako Adjei was instrumental in introducing Kwame Nkrumah into Ghana's political scene when he recommended him for the full time post of Organising Secretary of the UGCC.
Following Ghana's Independence, Ako Adjei served in various political portfolios including being the first Minister for Interior and Justice for the newly born nation, Ghana. He also became Ghana's first Minister of Foreign Affairs when the portfolio was changed from Minister for External Affairs to Minister for Foreign Affairs in May 1961. Ako Adjei's political career was however precluded after his detention for allegedly plotting to assassinate the then president Kwame Nkrumah in the Kulungugu bomb attack in 1962.
After his release in 1966, Ako Adjei spent the rest of his life in relative obscurity. He remained unseen or unheard in the Ghanaian national and political discourse. He resolved to focus on his family and his career as a legal practitioner. In 1992 he published a biography of the Ghanaian businessman and statesman Mr.George Grant. In 1997 he was awarded the Order of the Star of Ghana award – the highest national award of the Republic of Ghana, for his contribution to the struggle for Ghana's independence. Ako Adjei died after a short illness in 2002.