Reginald Reynolds Amponsah

Reginald Reynolds Amponsah
Minister for Education
In office
1971  January 1972
President Edward Akufo-Addo
Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia
Preceded by William Ofori Atta
Personal details
Born December 30, 1919
Daaman, Ghana
Died June 3, 2009(2009-06-03) (aged 89)
Resting place Adudwan, Ghana
Nationality Ghanaian
Political party Progress Party
Other political
affiliations
United Party
New Patriotic Party
Alma mater Achimota School
Profession Potter, Politician

Reginald Reynolds Amponsah (30 December 1919 – 3 June 2009) was a potter and politician in Ghana. He was a Minister of State in the Busia government.

Education

Amponsah completed his secondary education at the Achimota School in 1942. He was the school prefect for his year.[1] Among his mates there were Victor Owusu, K. B. Asante, and Silas Duodu. He was awarded a scholarship to study pottery at Stoke on Trent in the United Kingdom.[2]

Politics

First republic

Amponsah was in opposition with the United Party in the first republic. Kwame Nkrumah's government, he was accused of plotting to overthrow the Convention People's Party government along with Victor Owusu, Apaloo, William Ofori Atta, Dzenkle Dzewu Joe Appiah and Major Awhaitey. During a BBC interview, he said about his arrest in 1958 that[3]

A British police officer came to me and said “you are under arrest", ... "He pulled a gun and said “come at once or I will blow your head off."

He was jailed without trial under the Preventive Detention Act. He stayed there from 1958 until the coup d'état of 24 February 1966 which brought down the government of Kwame Nkrumah.[4]

Second republic

He was appointed by Kofi Abrefa Busia as Minister for Lands, Mineral Resources, Forestry and Wildlife in his Progressive Party government. He was later appointed Education minister and initiated the process for reforms in basic education in Ghana.[1]

Fourth republic

During the fourth republic, he was the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He was influential in uniting various factions within the NPP leading up to the 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections.[5]

Other activities

Amponsah was chairman of the now-defunct Ghana Airways airline in the 1960s.[6]

Personal

Amponsah was born at Daaman near Asante Mampong in the Sekyere West District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. He was married with four children. He was buried on 3 September 2009 at Adudwan, also near Asante Mampong.[7][8]

References

  1. 1 2 "R R Amponsah to be buried on September 3". General News (Ghana Home Page). 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  2. "Reginald Reynolds Amponsah". GoneTooSoon.org. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  3. Lucy Adoma Yeboah (2009-06-10). "R.R. Amponsah Is Dead". Daily Graphic Online. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  4. Hayford Atta-Krufi (2009-06-15). "NPP UK and Ireland Mourns R. R. Amponsah". Diasporian News (Ghana Home Page). Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  5. Peter Abban (2006-10-04). "R R Amponsah unites Yilo Krobo NPP". StatesmanOnline. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  6. Guttery, Ben R. (1998). Encyclopedia of African airlines. McFarland & Co Inc. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-7864-0495-7. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  7. Kwaku Oteng (2009-09-04). "RR Amponsah Goes Home". GhanaMma.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  8. Kwaku Oteng (2009-08-22). "R. R. Amponsah Gets Date". GhanaMma.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
Political offices
Preceded by
William Ofori Atta
Minister for Education
1971–1972
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
?
Minister for Lands, Mineral Resources, Forestry and Wildlife
?–1971
Succeeded by
?
Parliament of Ghana
Preceded by
Parliament suspended
Member of Parliament
1969–1972
Succeeded by
Parliament suspended
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