Former Minister of Communication, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah
Hon Ekwow Spio-Garbrah is a Ghanaian diplomat, banker, entrepreneur and marketing and corporate communications professional.
He was born in 1953 in Kumasi at the Okomfo Anokye Hospital to former Ghanaian ambassador Britton Spio-Garbrah and nurse/midwife and poet Elizabeth Spio-Garbrah.
He was a student at Achimota School and received a B.A. in English from the University of Ghana. He completed coursework for a Master's degree in communications from the same university and obtained a MA in International Affairs from Ohio University in Athens. Subsequently, Hon. Spio-Garbrah received a graduate certificate for International Banking and Finance from New York University in 1984.
He was appointed a Corporate Relations Officer from 1988 to 1991 at the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank affiliate, in Washington, DC. From 1991 to 1994 he was Head of Communication at the African Development Bank, directing the bank’s global corporate and marketing communications and acting as institutional spokesman.
As Ambassador to the United States from 1994 to 1997, Dr Spio-Garbrah was noted for his success in rebuilding Ghana’s image across the USA, including organising an unprecedented eight-city investment promotion programme for Ghana’s then-President H.E. Flt Lt. Jerry John Rawlings in the USA.
As a result, partly of the successful bilateral programmes he executed, Ghana became the first country to be visited by U.S. President Bill Clinton during his famous five-country Africa visit in 1998 and is now a recipient of the Millennium Challenge Account.
President Clinton’s visit to Ghana was also followed by visits from President George Bush and Barack Obama, making it the only sub-Saharan African country to receive all three Presidents.
As a Minister of Communication of Ghana, from 1997 to 1998, Mr Spio-Garbrah initiated, developed and implemented policies and programmes that supported the increasing convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting, the internet, publishing, news media and postal services, all of which were under his supervision.
Concurrently, as chairman of the National Communication Authority (NCA), he had responsibility for regulating all aspects of the telecom, Internet and broadcasting sectors.
Hon. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah was also in charge of the Public Education Committee which successfully re-introduced the VAT to Ghana after a disastrous first attempt in the early 1990s had left several protesters dead.
The VAT has since mobilized USD billions for Ghana's socio-economic and infrastructure development in Ghana.
While Education Minister from 1998 to 2001, Mr Spio-Garbrah was credited with the creation of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), which has since mobilized over USD Billions for educational sector infrastructure, transportation, equipment and scholarships. The GETFund law has been widely praised as one of the most transformative pieces of legislation in Africa relating to the education sector.
From 2014 to January 2017 Ekwow Spio-Grabrah served as Minister for Trade and Industry for the Republic of Ghana.
In this position, he led in all aspects of national policy making and initiation of legislation for various aspects of domestic and international trade as well as promoting industry and private sector/business dialogue, and collaboration for Ghana’s competitiveness.
He supervised agencies such as the Ghana Free Zones Board, the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, the National Standards Authority, the National Board for Small Scale Industries and the Rural Enterprises Programme.
The Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Honours, recognizes his remarkable achievements as former Minister of State for Communication, Minister of State for Education, Minister of State for Energy and also Trade and Industry.
For his sterling performance in the course of his duties for Mother Ghana, Hon Ekwow Spio-Garbrah is highly appreciated by the good people of Ghana.
About Big Events Ghana
Big Events Ghana, organizers of Radio and Television Personality Awards (RTP), Africa Gospel Awards Festival (AGAFEST) and Africa CEO Honours and Summit.
Their track record and credibility of awarding excellence for the past fifteen years in Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and others.
Over the years, Big Events Ghana’s award brands have gained an overwhelming acceptance by industry players, sponsors and the general public as the biggest, most prestigious and most publicized entertainment awards event in Ghana.
Their schemes have also attracted thousands of people across corporate Ghana and Africa; diplomatic communities, celebrities, media practitioners and the general public.
Big Events, Despite Media Group, GhanaWeb, Angel Broadcasting Network and Africa Centre of Excellence are proud to announce Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Honours.
GMoS Excellence Honours, is an honorary scheme which recognizes and rewards current and former ministers who have distinguished themselves in the course of their duty.
The Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Honours would be held on Saturday 15th May at Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra at 4pm prompt.
The event is strictly by invitation and it is a black tie or traditional wear event.
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