Nii Amon Kotei (24 May 1915 – 17 October 2011) was a Ghanaian sculptor, painter, musician, surveyor, and graphic artist. Kotei is mostly remembered and celebrated as the designer of the

coat of arms of Ghana The coat of arms of Ghana was designed by Ghanaian artist Nii Amon Kotei and was introduced on 4 March 1957. Description *The first quarter, on the upper left shows a sword used by chiefs, and a staff, used by the linguist (known as an ''okyeam ...

. He was one of Ghana's leading artists.

Early life

Kotei was born on 24 May 1915, at La, near

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

. He belonged to the Ga ethnic group.

Education and military service

Kotei was awarded a scholarship at

Achimota School Achimota School ( /ɑːtʃimoʊtɑː/ ), formerly Prince of Wales College and School at Achimota, later Achimota College, now nicknamed Motown, is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana. The school wa ...

and later received a scholarship to study art at the London School of Printing and Graphic Art from 1949 to 1952. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served in the

Royal West African Frontier Force The West African Frontier Force (WAFF) was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. In 1928, it received royal recognition ...

and worked in the Cartographic Division of the Army drawing maps and plans for soldiers on the front lines.

Notable Contributions

His most notable contribution was the creation of Ghana's National Coat of Arms on 4 March 1957. Kotei was commissioned by the British colonial government to replace the older badge which depicted an Elephant and a Palm tree; two symbols used throughout British West African colonies. After his initial design, under the government's instruction, the Coat of Arms was sent to the Queen's College of Heraldry for approval. The Ghanaian coat of arms, found on all government official letter heads, is composed of a shield, divided into four quarters by a green St. George's Cross, rimmed with gold.

Death

Kotei died on 17 October 2011. His contributions to Ghanaian art and heraldry were recognized by the Ghanaian parliament following his death.

Awards

He was awarded the State Honour of Grand Medal, Civil Division, Coat of Arms Design presented to him on Friday, 7 March 1997, by then-

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Jerry Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the de ...

. He received several other awards.

References

1915 births 2011 deaths Coats of arms designers Ghanaian artists British colonial army soldiers 20th-century cartographers Alumni of Achimota School {{Ghana-bio-stub