Justice Daniel Francis Kweipe Annan (November 7, 1928 – July 16, 2006) was

Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana The Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Ghana. The current speaker is Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin. He was elected on 7 January 2021. History The first speaker of the Parliament of Ghana was Sir ...

from 1993 to 2001. He was a member of the

Provisional National Defence Council The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was the name of the Ghanaian government after the People's National Party's elected government was overthrown by Jerry Rawlings, the former head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, in a coup ...

government which governed

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 ...

prior the fourth republic and was Chairman of the National Commission for Democracy.

Early life

Daniel Annan was born in

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, , ...

on November 7, 1928, to Ga-Adangbe parents. His father, Victor Benjamin Annan was a merchant and treasurer of the Accra branch of the

United Gold Coast Convention The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was a political party founded in 1947 whose aim was to bring about Ghanaian independence from their British colonial masters after the Second World War. The United Gold Coast Convention appointed its leade ...

, while his mother was Mary Nyaniba Annan. Annan's maternal great-grandfather was the King of Gã State (known locally as Gã Maŋtsɛ) ''Tackie Tawia I of Accra'', who reigned from 1862 to 1902. He started his education at the primary section of

King's College, Lagos King's College, Lagos (KCL) is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students on its original site at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits only male student ...

, receiving his Kindergarten education. He had his secondary education at

Accra Academy Accra Academy is a Non-denominational Christianity, non-denominational Day School, day and Boarding School, boarding Single-sex education, boys' school. It is located at Bubuashie near Kaneshie in the Greater Accra Region. The school was establishe ...

from 1939 to 1945. Thereafter, he studied at the Intermediate Department at

Achimota College 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 schoo ...

from 1946 to 1948. Justice Annan then proceeded to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

to study law at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

. He obtained the

LL.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

(Hons) degree in 1956 while there. He was called to the bar at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

, UK, in 1958.

Career

Justice Annan worked at the Attorney General's department in Accra, Ghana from 1958 to 1964. He rose from Assistant State Attorney, through State Attorney and finally worked as Senior State Attorney during that period. He joined the bench in 1964 as a Circuit Court Judge for two years. He was promoted High Court Judge in 1966 and then Appeal Court Judge in 1971. He served as the Stool Lands Boundaries Settlement Commissioner and also as a Member of the Legal Class Appointment Board from 1974 to 1976. Other positions held by Daniel Annan include Chairman of the Press Freedom and Complaints Committee of the Ghana Press Commission in 1980 and Chairman of the Ghana Police Council in 1984 as well as chairman, National Economic Commission in 1984.

Politics and Speaker of Parliament

Daniel Annan was appointed a member of the ruling

(PNDC) in 1984. He effectively became the deputy to

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 ...

, the

Head of state of Ghana This is a list of the heads of state of Ghana, from the independence of Ghana in 1957 to the present day. From 1957 to 1960 the head of state under the Constitution of 1957 was the queen of Ghana, Elizabeth II, who was also the queen of the U ...

and acted quite often when Rawlings was out of the country. The government also made him Chairman of the National Commission for Democracy in 1984 which was to oversee preparations to return Ghana back to democracy. On the inauguration of the fourth republic, Justice Annan was elected Speaker of Parliament in January 1993, a position he held during the second parliament of the fourth republic as well till 2001. During this period, he got to act as

President of Ghana The president of the Republic of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana, as well as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The current president of Ghana is Nana Akufo-Addo, who won the 2020 presidential elec ...

when both the President and Vice President were out of the country.

Sports

Justice Annan loved sports. He was Chairman of the Ghana Boxing Promotion Syndicate from 1973 to 1976 and Chairman of the Ghana Boxing Authority from 1980 to 1982. He was also President of the Ghana National Olympic Committee (1983–1985).

Honours

* Star of Ghana - one of the prestigious state awards.

Death

Daniel Annan died on July 16, 2006, in Accra after a period of illness.

Literature

Notes

External links

Profile on Ghanaweb.comGhanaweb Photo Report on Justice AnnanLast respects to Justice Annan - Photo Report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Annan, Daniel Francis 1928 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Ghanaian judges Speakers of the Parliament of Ghana Alumni of the University of Hull Alumni of the Accra Academy Alumni of Achimota School People from Accra Ga-Adangbe people Ghanaian Methodists