Gustav Koranteng-Addow (1918-1988) was the Attorney General of

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 ...

from 9 October 1975 to January 1979 under the Supreme Military Council.

Early life and education

Gustav Koranteng-Addow was born on 25 October 1918 at

Akropong–Akuapem Akropong is a town in South Ghana and is the capital of the Akuapim North District, a district in the Eastern Region of South Ghana. This town is known for producing snails and palm oil.

. His early formative years were spent at the Presbyterian Middle Boys' School,

in the years 1930 to 1933. He continued his studies at the Accra Academy where he obtained his Secondary Education from 1936 to 1939.

Career

Gustav took an appointment as Secretary to the akuapim native authority in 1944 before deciding in 1949 to pursue further education oversees to study for his LL.B and make law his professional career. In that year he entered the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

and enrolled at the Inns of Court,

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 ...

. In 1956 after a successful completion of his LL.B and an acquisition of a diploma in International and Comparative Air Law, and a call to the English Bar, he returned to

to embark on private practice. His success in this field was underscored by an invitation to the Bench which he accepted. He was appointed on 1 September 1964 and served at many stations in the Judicial Service. In 1968, he received a grant for a fellowship under a British Technical Assistance Programme from the Ministry of Overseas development to research into Customary Arbitration at the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...

, London. He earned his doctorate and returned to Ghana to resume work on the bench. On 9 October 1975 he was appointed

Attorney General of Ghana The Attorney General of Ghana is the chief legal advisor to the Ghanaian government. The attorney general is also responsible for the Ministry of Justice. The Attorney General also serves as a member of the General Legal Council which regulates l ...

. He served in that capacity until January 1979 when he reverted to the court as justice of the appeal court. He however did not stay long on the bench this second time round. On 7 May 1979 he decided to retire on grounds of ill health.

UNIGOV

Amidst mounting nonviolent opposition of the SMC government run by

Ignatius Kutu Acheampong Ignatius Kutu Acheampong ( ; (23 September 1931 – 16 June 1979) was the military head of state of Ghana from 13 January 1972 to 5 July 1978, when he was deposed in a palace coup. He was executed by firing squad on 16 June 1979. Early life and ...

, discussions of the country's political future had begun. A committee was set up by the Supreme Military Council in January 1977 to consider a "Union Government" proposal. Dr. Gustav Koranteng-Addow had toured the length and breadth of the country to collate views from the people on the Union government idea proposed by Acheampong. A report was presented on 4 October 1977 by the seventeen-member ad hoc committee appointed by the government and chaired by Dr. Gustav Koranteng-Addow. The report recommended an executive president selected by adult suffrage from a list presented by an electoral college. It also suggested a 140-member legislature of candidates who would run as independents without connection to a political party. In its report the committee said the predominant wish of the people was the establishment of a national government in a no party state. On 30 March 1978 a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

was held on the choice of system of government. The results of the referendum saw an overwhelming support for the union government as those in favour of union government accounted for a little over 60% of the registered voters that voted. However, continuous strikes by professional groups and student bodies led to the overthrow of

on July 1978. Following the overthrow of Ignatius Kutu Acheampong by fellow SMC member

Fred Akuffo Lieutenant General Frederick William "Fred" Kwasi Akuffo (21 March 1937 – 26 June 1979) was a Ghanaian soldier and politician. He was Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces from 1976 to 1978, and chairman of the ruling Supr ...

, Dr. Gustav Koranteng-Addow was relieved of his duty as

following his criticisms of the ruling Supreme Military Council's plan to return the country to party politics that year.

Personal life

He was married to Cecilia Koranteng-Addow a former Judge who was abducted on 30 June 1982 together with two other judges and a retired Major in the

Ghana Armed Forces The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is the unified armed force of Ghana, consisting of the Army (GA), Navy (GN), and Ghana Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces is the president of Ghana, who is also the supreme military commander ...

.rawafric
"The Darkest day in Ghana’s History: Brutal murder of three High Court judges and a military officer"
rawafrica, 4 November 2016.

Death and tribute

He died on 12 February 1988. The Head of Government of the day;

Jerry John 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 ...

paid the following tribute:

"I wish, therefore, to take this opportunity to express on behalf of the Council and on my own behalf our sincere gratitude and appreciation to you, for your dedicated, loyal and invaluable service to the Nation for almost 15 years, particularly on the Superior Court of Judicature".

References