Robert Jones Ghartey

Robert Jones Ghartey (*? In Winneba ; † 1897 ) was actually called Kwamin Akyempong and came from Winneba. In his youth he was sent to England for training, where he took the name Robert Jones Ghartey for himself. After his return to Winnebah he initially worked as a partner and agent in a European company, later he opened his own trading business in Annamaboe , with which he was particularly active in wood export. He was also considered a promoter of mining. He became involved in the Mankessim movement early on and despite his modest education, he was considered one of the “educated personalities in leadership”. In the period from December 5, 1868 to June 6, 1873 he held the office of "Chief Magistrate for our Fantee National Supreme Court now at Mankessim" within the leadership of the Fanti Confederation and you can see him here if you are from the "King-Presidents" as one of the most important personalities when one can speak of a real government. At the same time he was also the leading figure of the “educated Africans” within the state's power hierarchy. After the fall of the Fante Confederation, he officiated under the name Ghartey IV as King of Winnebah. He died in 1897.

literature

• Edward Reynolds: The Rise and Fall of an African Merchant Class on the Gold Coast 1830–1874. Cahiers d'Études africaines, 2e Cahier, 14 (54) (1974), pp. 253-264.

• Lennart Limberg: The Fanti Confederation 1868–1872 . Dissertation University of Gothenburg 1974.