Ashford Emmanuel Inkumsah was a

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

chemist and politician. He occupied various ministerial portfolios during the first republic. He was the first deputy

speaker of parliament The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

from 1965 to 1966.

Early life and education

Inkumsah was born in 1900 at

Sekondi Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indus ...

, in the Western Region,

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

(now

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

). His father was a traditional priest at Ahanta who converted to

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

. He started schooling at the Sekondi Methodist School and continued at

Mfantsipim School Mfantsipim is an all-boys boarding secondary school in Cape Coast, Ghana, established by the Methodist Church in 1876 to foster intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth on the then Gold Coast. Its founding name was Wesleyan High School and ...

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...

graduating in 1921.

Career and politics

In January 1922 he was employed by Messrs. Miller Brothers Limited,

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

as an abstract clerk. In June 1922 he joined Messrs. F. & A. Swanzy Transport for six months as a stenographer typist. He was later moved to Swanzy Trading Company where he worked as a stenographer typist until 1927 when he returned to

. In Sekondi, he worked with a firm of general merchants; Pickerings & Bethod, for two and a half years. Inkumsah trained as a pharmacist from 1931 to 1934 and in December 1934 he opened his own business; the Asfordinks Drug Store in Sekondi. While in Sekondi, he joined the Sekondi town council and remained a member of the council for ten years. In 1949 he joined Nkrumah's

Convention People's Party The Convention People's Party (CPP) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Ghana based on the ideas of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. The CPP was formed in June 1949 after Nkrumah broke away from the United Gold Coast Conven ...

(CPP) at its inception. Two years later he was elected a member of parliament for the Shama Ahanta constituency on the ticket of the CPP. He was re-elected in the various parliamentary elections that were held before and after the first republic until the overthrow of the

Nkrumah government Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the first Prime Minister and first President of Ghana. Nkrumah had run governments under the supervision of the British government through Charles Arden-Clarke, the Governor-General. His first government under colonial r ...

. He was appointed Minister for Labour in 1951 and in 1959 he was appointed Minister for Housing. A year later he was appointed Minister for Interior. In 1961 he was made Minister for Health and in 1963 he was appointed Minister for Information and broadcasting. He served in this capacity until 1965 when he was appointed Minister for Interior and the first deputy speaker of the 1965 parliament which lasted until 21 February 1966.

Personal life

Inkumsah was married to the late Florence Inkumsah. His hobbies included shooting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inkumsah, Emmanuel Ashford 1900 births 1976 deaths Ghanaian MPs 1951–1954 Ghanaian MPs 1954–1956 Ghanaian MPs 1956–1965 Ghanaian MPs 1965–1966 Interior ministers of Ghana Health ministers of Ghana Labour ministers of Ghana Mfantsipim School alumni Convention People's Party (Ghana) politicians