Veep attends D.S. Boateng burial service

Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur joined hundreds of mourners for the burial mass for the late David Yaw Sarpong Boateng, former Minister of Labour and Social Welfare at the St. George Catholic Cathedral, Koforidua.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur, who was at the service to pay his last respect to the former colleague also filed past the body of the late D.S. Boateng.

Other important dignitaries at the function included former President Jerry John Rawlings, Mr Kofi Totobi Quakyi, Nana Ato Dadzie, a former Chief of Staff and Ministers of States.

The burial service also attracted hundreds of NDC supporters from across the Eastern Region.

There were tributes from the widow, children, grand children, siblings, Comrades, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations and the St. George Catholic Cathedral of Koforidua.

The late ambassador D.S. Boateng who died at the age of 72 was born on October 9, 1943 to Oheneba Yaw Sarpong, the first child of Nana Kwaku Boateng I, Omanhene of New Juaben and Madam Mary Antwi Boateng, daughter of the Chief Linguist Okyeame Kwadwo Antwi.

His father also a Thursday born, named D.S after himself and his full name became David Yaw Sarpong Boateng.

The late D.S Boateng had his elementary schooling at the Koforidua Catholic Primary and Middle School from 1951-1958.

He completed with distinction and continued his education at the Mount Mary Teacher Training College at Somanya from 1960-64 where he obtained his certificate A.

He attended the advanced Teachers Training College at Winneba and continued his tertiary education at the University of Cape Coast from 1974-77 where he obtained a degree in History, Sociology and Education.

He also got the opportunity to study at Cornell University, New York where he obtained a certificate in Industrial Relations.

D.S Boateng first taught as a pupil teacher at Kobokobo near Huhuya on the Koforidua Somanya road and later as a teacher at the Koforidua Catholic Middle school.

At the University of Cape Coast, D.S was first drawn into students politics. He contested and won the Presidency of the School’s SRC. He was also at the forefront of the students’ agitation against the Unigov concept of General Acheampong in those days.

In 1986, D.S Boateng was invited by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) to serve as the Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. In 1989, he was appointed the substantive PNDC Secretary for the re-organised Ministry of Mobilization and Social Welfare.

When Ghana returned to democratic rule in 1992, D.S Boateng contested the parliamentary seat of the New Juaben South constituency on the ticket of the NDC and won and was appointed as the Minister of Employment under the Rawlings regime.

During his active political carrier, the late D.S. Boateng served on many state organisations including Board Chairman of SSNIT, the Tripartite Committee on Wages and Salaries, Redeployment Management Committee among others.

He was elected the Governing Board of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) from 1993-1996 in Geneva, Switzerland.

In October, 2009 D.S. Boateng was appointed by late President John Evan Atta-Mills as Ghana’s ambassador to Cuba.

This position had concurrent accreditation to Caribbean and Latin American countries including Barbados, Costa Rica, Antigua and Bermuda, Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago among others.