William Ofori-Atta

Nana William Ofori-Atta (popularly also Paa Willie ) (* 1910 , † 1988 ) is one of the most famous politicians of the former British colony of the Gold Coast and modern Ghana .

education

Ofor-Atta attended the Mfantsipim School in Ghana. He later attended the renowned Achimota College , north of Accra . In 1956 Ofori-Atta became a lawyer.

Career

Ofori-Atta became a founding member of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the first party of the former Gold Coast colony. That is why he is one of the so-called Big Six , who to this day receive considerable respect and recognition in Ghana. As a party member, Ofori-Atta was imprisoned by the colonial rulers together with Kwame Nkrumah , JB Danquah , Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey and Ebenezer Ako-Adjei before the country became independent . They were charged with a riot that resulted in the deaths of some demonstrators. However, this imprisonment only strengthened the reputation of those leaders who demanded independence from colonial power. The six leading politicians jailed across the country have since been dubbed the Big Six of Ghanas. After his release from prison, Nkrumah turned away from the other Big Six and the party broke.

After the break with Kwame Nkrumah , who split off from the UGCC with his own party and later became the first prime minister and president of Ghana, Ofori-Atta went into opposition, as did JB Danquah , Ebenezer Ako Adjei , Edward Akufo-Addo and Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey to Nkrumah. After a far-reaching party ban in 1957 and 1958, Ofori-Atta became a founding member of the United Party , which was the only opposition party besides the Convention People's Party of Nkrumah to maintain a functioning opposition for some time. Opposition leaders were driven out of the country or taken into custody following an attack on Nkrumah. Only after the military coup against Nkrumah were the political prisoners released by the military junta of the National Liberation Council (NLC).

Ofori-Atta became Ghana's Foreign Minister between 1971 and 1972 after the NLC's transition to a democracy under the government of Kofi Abrefa Busia, and thus Victor Owusu's successor in office . Ofori-Atta lost his post in another military coup in Ghana on January 13, 1972 under the power of Ignatius Kutu Acheampong . Ofori-Atta opposed the government of the military junta and founded the United National Convention (UNC) in 1979 after the ban on political parties was lifted , of which he became party chairman. As a candidate for the UNC, Ofori-Atta took part in the elections for President of June 18, 1979 . With around 17.41 percent of the votes cast, he was third of a total of ten candidates and had to admit defeat to the later runoff candidate Victor Owusu and the later President Hilla Limann .

After his political career, Ofori-Atta was active as a devout Christian. For example, in 1967 he founded the Accra Chapel Trust, an independent evangelical church at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra .

family

Ofori-Atta is the son of Nana Sir Ofori Atta I, the king ( Omanhene ) of Akyem Abuakwa between 1912 and 1943. As the Ghanaian king, the father of Ofori-Atta was married to a large number of women and is said to have about 98 offspring Siblings and half-siblings of William Ofori-Atta. A sister (or half-sister) by the name of Nana Yeboakua Ofori-Atta married Edward Akufo-Addo , who later became President of Ghana. William Ofori-Atta is thus the uncle of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo .

Ofori-Atta received a state funeral.

Others

In memory of William Ofori Atta, the William Ofori Atta lectures (to be since his death William Ofori Atta Lectures ) held.

In 2007 a new 10,000 cedi banknote was issued by the Bank of Ghana with the image of the Big Six, Ofori-Atta among them.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ NRC, Volume 2, Chapter 3, page 30

See also

• List of Ghanaian politicians
• List of the Governments of Ghana