Government of Ghana honours Amissah-Arthur

The government of Ghana has decided to re-name Moree Senior High School in the Central Region after the late former Vice-President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur.

“In consultation with his family, His Excellency the president and the government, have decided to rename Moree Senior High School to Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur Senior High School in honour of the late vice-president”, Dr Bawumia said at the pre-burial ceremony at the Accra International Conference Centre on Friday, 27 July.

The vice-president described his late predecessor as a “man who couldn’t hurt a fly”.

At the same ceremony, the late former vice-president’s children, Kwesi Nyan Amissah-Arthur and Araba Amissah-Arthur, described their father as the “superhero” they will miss forever.

In their tribute to the late vice-president at the pre-burial service at the Accra International Conference Centre, Kwesi Nyan said: “We’ve lost our hero and we are sad … He is and always shall be our hero … We know the principles he stood for and how he raised us… I had my own personal superhero … our hero wasn’t necessarily exclusive to us… we have heard several stories about his incorruptible nature …”

“My father, my superhero, who is better than all those I used to admire as a child. We pay tribute to one of the greatest heroes of them all”.

Mr Amissah-Arthur died on 29 June after collapsing during a workout session at the Airforce Gym.

He was 67.

The man Amissah-Arthur

Amissah-Arthur was the sixth Vice-President of Ghana, in office from 6 August 2012 until 7 January 2017, under President John Dramani Mahama. Previously, he was Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 2009 to 2012.

He was sworn in as Vice-President on 6 August 2012, following vetting by Parliament.

He was nominated by Former President John Dramani Mahama to be vice president a week after Mahama himself was sworn in.This followed the sudden death of President John Atta Mills on 24 July 2012.

Economics and consultancy

Amissah-Arthur was a research assistant at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research between 1974 and 1975. He later joined the Economics Department as a teaching assistant from 1977 to 1978, going on to become an assistant lecturer in 1979.

He lectured at the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana between 1980 and 1988. He has also been a lecturer at the Department of Economics, Anambra State College of Education, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria (August 1981 – July 1983).[7] He went into politics until 1997. He worked as a consultant for the World Bank in The Gambia. He also served as a consultant for the Netherlands' government education project in Ghana. He then worked as Senior Economist for the Sigma One Corporation in Ghana between 1998 and 2000. Between 2001 and 2002, he was on assignment for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Politics

From 1983 to 1986, Amissah-Arthur served as a special assistant to the Secretary of Finance and Economic Planning, Kwesi Botchwey, in the Provisional National Defence Council government. Subsequently, he was Deputy Secretary for Finance in the PNDC government from February 1986 to March 1993. From April 1993, he continued as the Deputy Minister for Finance in the Rawlings government after the establishment of constitutional rule until March 1997.

Amissah-Arthur was appointed as Governor of the Bank of Ghana in October 2009 by President John Atta Mills. He held this position until 6 August 2012, when he became Vice-President of Ghana following the death of Atta Mills.