The Government was on Wednesday informed about the death of Dr Amon Nikoi, former Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BOG) at the Castle, Osu.
Nii Kotey Amli III, La Klana Mantse, who led a six-member delegation of the bereaved family to inform President John Agyekum Kufuor about the death, said the late Dr Nikoi, 72, died on Thursday, 5 September.
He said burial service would be held at the Ridge Church in Accra before the burial at the La Cemetary on Saturday, 5 October. President Kufuor expressed condolences to the bereaved family and said the late Dr Nikoi distinguished himself in nation building in the economic sector.
He said Dr Nikoi also served the nation with great distinction in the Foreign Service, the Central Bank and as a Minister of State in the Third Republic. Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, said Dr Nikoi was a luminary, who was prepared to listen and talk to anyone despite his position in life, adding, "he was someone who would allow deeds to speak louder than words".
Miss Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State at the Presidency, said Dr Nikoi would be remembered for his intellectual clarity on the business of finance and as a Governor by the integrity he brought to his position because of his sound knowledge in that sector.
Mrs Grace Coleman, Deputy Minister of Finance, said the expertise of Dr Nikoi was still being enjoyed by the Central Bank even after his absence She commended Dr Nikoi for his humility and dedication to duty at the Ministry of Finance, which has benefited and continued to benefit the ministry.
Mr Emmanuel Asiedu-Mante, Acting Governor of the Central Bank said Dr Nikoi brought a new dimension into the operations of the bank during his tenure of office, saying, "the central bank in a developing country, should concentrate more on developmental banking than the normal banking practices in developed countries".
Mr Asiedu-Mante said it was through the ingenuity of Dr Nikoi that Rural Banking was introduced in the country and continued to flourish as well as innovation in the agricultural and housing sectors.
The late Dr Nikoi, was born on 19th January 1930 at La, Accra. He had Bsc in Economics at the Amherst College in USA in 1953, a Fellow of Harvard University, USA 1953-55 and honorary M.A. Amherst in 1963.
Between 1957-1960, he joined the Ghana Foreign Service and was posted to the Ghana Embassy in Washington to become the Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations (UN). From 1960-1966, Dr Nikoi was made the Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and between 1966-1968 became the Executive Director of the IMF.
Dr Nikoi was appointed Senior Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Finance between 6 January1969-February 1973. On 1 March 1973, he was appointed Governor and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Ghana, within the same period was the Chairman of Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC) and Chairman, Grains Warehousing Company.
He was retired in 1977 as the Governor of the Central Bank by the National Redemption Council (NRC) under the late General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. During the Third Republic under Dr Hilla Limann and the People's National Party (PNP), Dr Nikoi was appointed Minister of Finance and Economic Planning. He left behind a widow, Mrs Gloria Amon-Nikoi, three children and two grand children.
