NPP's Sir John is dead

Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, has passed away.

He is reported to have died on Wednesday evening at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after a short illness.

The renowned lawyer-cum-politician died after testing positive for the novel Coronavirus, GhanaWeb gathered.

Sir John reportedly succumbed to complications of the disease while undergoing treatment at the ICU of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Until his death, Sir John was the CEO of the Forestry Commission.

He was appointed as the CEO of the Forestry Commission in March 2017 by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Eugene Arhin, the Communication Director for the President, shared a tribute some few minutes after the sad news of the passing of Mr Kwadwo Afriyie Owusu was announced.

“RIP Sir John…Till we meet again,” he wrote on Facebook.

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko also wrote on his Facebook timeline, "Only this afternoon I called to wish him a speedy recovery... This is truly shattering! Tough to swallow... Sleep easy, Sir John."

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Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie was born in the Ashanti Region.

He attended Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School in Bekwai from where he obtained his GCE Ordinary level certificate.

He then proceeded to obtain his GCE Advanced level certificate from Konongo Odumase Secondary School in Konongo.

Mr Owusu Afriyie was admitted to study political science at the University of Ghana after which he enrolled at the Ghana School of Law where he graduated with Bachelor of Laws (LLB).

He was then admitted as a solicitor and counsel for the Supreme Court of Ghana.

Sir John entered into private law practice in 1981.

During the John Agyekum Kufuor administration, he was appointed head of legal services at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

He was later made to act as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the corporation.

While managing his firm, Afriyie was also actively engaged in Ghanaian politics.

He served as the General Secretary of the NPP from 2010 to 2014. He lost his bid to secure a second term to Kwabena Agyei Agyapong.