By William
Yaw Owusu
Friday July
13, 2018
Joseph Henry Mensah, popularly called J.H. Mensah,
the veteran politician and one of the pillars behind the formation of the New
Patriotic Party (NPP), has been reported dead.
He reportedly passed away at the 37 Military
Hospital yesterday dawn in Accra where he was said to have been on admission
for some months.
According to reports, J.H. Mensah, who was a Senior
Minister during the previous Kufuor administration, was 89.
Glowing
Tribute
Following the sad passing of the NPP stalwart, top
politicians and leaders have been paying glowing tribute to him.
President Akufo-Addo yesterday expressed sorrow over
the death of the statesman and promised to duly honour him.
He told a gathering of family and NPP members in
Accra that the former minister deserved a befitting farewell and commended him
highly for his contributions to the development of the country.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in a post on
social media platform Facebook, briefly outlined J.H. Mensah’s contributions to
Ghana’s development.
“Truly a mighty tree has fallen with the passing on
of a statesman, Mr. Joseph Henry Mensah, (affectionately called J.H. Mensah).
He passionately served his country with pride to enhance development and was a
man of endearing charm and wit,” he said.
“For me, J.H. Mensah was a mentor. In my humble
opinion, he is probably the best economist Ghana has produced. Analytically
amazing in the way he dissected issues and practical in his policy
prescriptions. He was the author of President Kwame Nkrumah's seven-year
development plan,” adding “My sincerest condolences go to his family,
government, people of Ghana and the fraternity of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia
tradition.”
Former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings also
eulogized the former Senior Minister, saying on Twitter that “my sincere
condolences to the NPP and the family of J.H. Mensah for their loss. He left an
indelible mark on Ghana's politics. May his soul rest in peace.”
Early
Development
J.H. Mensah was born on October 30, 1928 to a father
who was said to be a civil servant in the then Gold Coast and a mother who was
a trader at the Kumasi Central Market.
He was the third of 10 children and attended St
Peter’s Cathedral School in Kumasi and then proceeded to the famous Achimota
School.
He received his tertiary education at the University
of Gold Coast (now University of Ghana) between 1948 and 1954 and proceeded to
the University of London the same year where he obtained both Bachelor and
Master degrees in Economics.
The late J.H. Mensah also had a stint at the
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA, and specialised in economic
theory and development.
His working experience dates back to 1953 when he
was appointed as an Assistant Inspector of Taxes by the colonial
administration.
The Senior Minister of Government Business also
worked as a Research Fellow in Economics at the University of Ghana between
1954 and 1958.
He joined the United Nations Secretariat in 1958 as
an Economic Affairs Officer at the Centre for Development Planning, Projections
and Policies, in New York.
In 1961, he was the Head of Agency at the National
Planning Commission of the Government of Ghana, which drew and implemented the
country's Seven-Year Development Plan (1962-1969).
Political
Journey
During the Progress Party (PP) administration
(1969-1972), he was the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, as well as a
Member of Parliament (MP) under Prime Minister Prof Busia’s administration,
which was overthrown by the Acheampong-led military junta.
After Acheampong’s 1972 coup, J.H. Mensah was
imprisoned by the National Redemption Council (NRC) in 1975.
At one point, he was the Chairman and Managing
Director, Development and Management Consultants (Ghana) Ltd; Chairman, Sunyani
District Council (1978-1981) and Proprietor of Banka Farms Limited.
He was later forced into exile in the early 1980s
but still headed a group opposed to the Provisional National Defence Council
(PNDC), led by Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings.
After Ghana entered its Fourth Republic in 1992, he
served on the African Advisory Council of the African Development Bank from
1993 to 1997.
In December 1996, J.H. Mensah successfully contested
for a parliamentary seat in the Sunyani East Constituency on the ticket of the
NPP and served as the Minority Leader in Parliament when the NPP was in
opposition but later became Majority Leader when the NPP won power in the year
2000.
He served three consecutive terms as MP for Sunyani
East from 1997 to 2009.
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