Joseph Arthur Ankrah

Joseph Arthur Ankrah (born August 18, 1915 in Accra ; † November 25, 1992 ) was a Ghanaian politician and head of state of Ghana from 1966 to 1969 .

soldier

Ankrah belonged to the Ga people . After leaving school, he joined the army of what was then the British colony of Gold Coast and became a career officer. During the Second World War he served with the West African Rifles in Burma . After the war he took part in officer training courses in England and became a lieutenant in 1947 . After Ghana's independence, he was promoted to colonel in August 1960 .

In 1960 he was the commander of the Ghana contingent at the UN mission in the Congo . At that time the British Major General Alexander was in command of the Ghana's army . In 1961, Ankrah was promoted to brigadier general.

After his return to Ghana, Ankrah opposed the authoritarian ruling President Kwame Nkrumah . He was suspected in 1964 of participating in a conspiracy against Nkrumah and was dismissed as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army in 1965. On February 24, 1966, he was one of the leading military officials who deposed Nkrumah, who had just traveled, in a military coup .

head of state

Ankrah became chairman of the eight-member Junta National Liberation Council (NLC) and thus head of state. According to an opinion poll organized by a Nigerian businessman, which identified Ankrah as the most popular figure in Ghana, he was accused of corruption . His colleagues in the NLS deposed him and on April 2, 1969 Akwasi Afrifa became his successor.

family

Ankrah was married several times and had 18, according to other sources, 28 children. His daughter Jacky Akushika Ankrah is a well-known singer and television presenter in Ghana.

literature

Fischer Weltalmanach - Biographies on Contemporary History since 1945 , Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag 1985, ISBN 3-596-24553-2 .

Web links

Short biography at Ghana.com ( Memento from March 5, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) (English)

Individual evidence

↑ A spectacular interview with Jackie Akushika Ankrah. In: myananse.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2006 ; accessed on June 10, 2014 .

personal data
SURNAME	Ankrah, Joseph Arthur
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Ghanaian politician, head of state of Ghana (1966–1969)
DATE OF BIRTH	August 18, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH	Accra
DATE OF DEATH	November 25, 1992

[1] A spectacular interview with Jackie Akushika Ankrah. In: myananse.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2006 ; accessed on June 10, 2014 .