Joe-Fio Neenyann Meyer (born 14 June 1918) was a Ghanaian

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and trade unionist.

Early years and education

He 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, , ...

, British Gold Coast. Joe-Fio had his early education at Accra Royal School from 1925 to 1928, he later proceeded to John Aglionby (bishop) Boys' School from 1929 to 1934 then the

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 ...

where he obtained his secondary education. He entered Tetteh's Business College and Scriba Commercial Institute, he obtained a group diploma in Secretaryship at the London School of Accountancy in 1955. He had an extra mural education at the University College of the Gold Coast then later studied at

Ruskin College Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is an independent educational institution in Oxford, England. It is not a college of Oxford University. It is named after the essayist, art and social critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) an ...

, Oxford, on ICFTU Scholarship which took him to the British TUC, the French Trade Union Headquarters, Force Ouvriere, Paris, and the Office of the Belgian Workers Movement Brussels, LC.

Career

He was first employed by the Société commerciale de l'Ouest africain (S.C.O.A.) Headquarters in

from 1937 to 1958. He was Gold Coast's

Ballroom dance Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television. ...

Champion in 1942. He was a Red Cross member for life in 1944. In 1945, he received the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

's Certificate for Red Cross War effort and also received General de Gaulle's word of thanks. He became President of the Bishop boys' Old Boys' association in 1945. In 1951 he was elected General Secretary of the trade union of the Société commerciale de l'Ouest africain. From 1952 to 1954 he was a member of the Salary Board (Retail Trade Workers). He became a member of the Central Advisory Committee on health services from 1953 to 1956. He was also a member of the Local Employment Committee from 1954 to 1957. In 1955 he was made Treasurer of the Ghana Education Workers Association. The following year, he became a Fellow of the British Chamber of Commerce and also a member of the Industrial Welfare Society ( London). That same year, he was promoted to Assistant to the Technical Department Manager at S.C.O.A. after 20 years of meritorious service to the company. At the 13th Annual Conference, in Sekondi-Takoradi he was elected President of the Ghana Trades Union Congress and also served as Director of Education. He was an Affiliate Member of the Institute of Personnel Management ( London). In 1957 he was a member of the Advisiory Work Committee and also a member of the College of Technology Council. That same year he was made the President of the Association of Students of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in Brussels. He was a member of the seven men Management Committee of the Accra Municipality. At the 40th

International Labour Conference The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...

in 1957, he participated in a study tour of trade unions, the factories and office cooperatives in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Portugal,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, Tunisia, United Kingdom and the Labor movement representing Ghana. He also participated in the conference at: Commonwealth Trade Union Group in Geneva and the 5th Afro-Asian World Congress of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in Tunisia that same year. In 1958 he was elected President of the executive board of the Ghana Trades Union Congress and appointed vice-president of the Builders Brigade Council with the rank of Lieutenant. He retired as Product Assistant/Technical Manager in that same year.

Diplomatic Duties

In 1960 he was assigned to the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

as the first labour attaché and was sent to Lagos, he was appointed Commissioner to Nairobi. From 1961 to 1963 he was Ghana's High Commissioner to Tanzania at

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

(then

Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...

). From 1964 to February 24, 1966, he was Ghana's ambassador to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

at Beijing with accreditation to Pyongyang, ( North Korea) and Hanoi, ( North Vietnam). He was responsible for the preparation of the state visit of

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...

to Hanoi, North Vietnam on 21 February 1966 to resolve the Vietnam war. It was during this period of Nkrumah's absence that a coup d'état was instigated on 24 February 1966 to overthrow him from power.Joe-Fio N. Meyer, Dr. Nkrumah's Last Journey: The Sensational Viet-Nam U.S. War, Nyaniba Press, 1984 - Ghana - 144 p

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Joe-Fio Neenyann 1918 births Possibly living people Ghanaian diplomats Alumni of the Accra Academy Ghanaian civil servants Ga-Adangbe people Ghanaian people of Danish descent Ghanaian Protestants People from Accra Ghanaian trade unionists