Cobina Kessie was a Ghanaian barrister, diplomat and politician.
Cobina Kessie | |
|---|---|
| Ambassador to Liberia | |
| In office December 1959 – 1960 | |
| Prime Minister | Kwame Nkrumah |
| MP for Kumasi North | |
| In office 1956–? | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Gordon Guggisberg |
| Prime Minister | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Preceded by | Archie Casely-Hayford |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Asafo-Agyei |
| Parliamentary group | Muslim Association Party United Party |
| Constituency | Kumasi North |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1906 Kumasi |
| Political party | Muslim Association Party United Party |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Nickname | Prince Kessie of Ashanti |
Studies in the UK
editKessie arrived in the United Kingdom in 1937 where he studied law. He also studied anthropology under Bronisław Malinowski at the London School of Economics. He also served as a BBC broadcaster during his stay. He was a member of the Gold Coast Students' Association and the Scottsboro Defence Comittee. He returned to Ghana in 1945.[1]
Politics
editKessie was one of the members of the Coussey Committee set up in 1949 for constitutional reform in the Gold Coast.[2] He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumasi North in the first Parliament of Ghana following independence. He was elected in the 1956 Gold Coast general election held in July 1956. He was the only member of the Muslim Association Party (MAP) to win a seat. The elected members of the Legislative Assembly election went onto be MPs in the Ghana parliament. [3] He was nominated for the position of Deputy Speaker of Parliament but lost the position to C. H. Chapman by 71 votes to 30. He was a member of the Asanteman Council prior to being in parliament. The MAP merged with other parties to form the United Party in 1957 following introduction of legislation that proscribed sectarian parties.[4]
Kessie was one of the fifteen members appointed onto the first General Legal Council of Ghana in September 1958.[5][6]
Diplomatic service
editKessie became the ambassador of Ghana to Liberia in December 1959.[7][8] He later also served in China, United Arab Republic / Egypt and Belgrade in what was then Yugoslavia.
References
editNote: Some of the information here was taken from the tw:Cobina Kessie on the Twi Wikipedia.
- ^ Bailkin, Jordanna (15 November 2012). The Afterlife of Empire. Univ of California Press. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-520-28947-5. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "KENYA TRIALS (BARRISTERS' EXCLUSION) (Hansard, 4 December 1952)". parliament.uk. 4 December 1952. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Gold Coast Legislative Assembly Debates, 1956 - 1957 - Official Report First Series Volume 30th July to 15th September 1956". Government Printing Department. p. iii. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Janda, Kenneth (June 1980). "GHANA: The Party System in 1951-1956 and 1957-1962". Political Parties: A Cross-National Survey. New York: The Free Press. pp. 908–909. ISBN 978-0-02-916120-3. OCLC 6378799. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Ofori-Atta, Arku Korsah and 13 other men who served on Ghana's first General Legal Council". ghanaweb.com. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "15 To Serve on Legal Council". Daily Graphic: 16. 2 September 1958. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "KESSIE vs. NAMIH AND OTHERS[1980]DLHC1590". www.dennislawgh.com. 25 April 1980. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Kessie v Charmant and Another". studocu.com. 12 January 1972. Retrieved 11 July 2024.