Joseph Ampah Kojo Essel 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 the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
Member of Parliament for the Dompim constituency from 1965 to 1966.
Early life
Essel was born in 1921 at
Sefwi-Bekwai in the
Western Region 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 ...
(then
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 ...
).
He had his Middle School education at the Sefwi-Wiawso Government Middle School where he obtained his Standard Seven Certificate in 1937.
He entered
Wesley College, Kumasi in 1938 but transferred to
Adisadel College a year later.
His stay at Adisadel College was however, truncated in 1940 when his guardian died.
Career and politics
Essel begun his career in 1942 with the
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 ...
Army as a trained mechanic at the Base Workshops in
Accra.
He worked with the army until 1946. A year later, he obtained employment as a mechanic with C. F. A. O. in
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 t ...
. That same year he quit his career as a mechanic to enter the cocoa buying trade. He became a licensed cocoa buying agent under one Opanyin Adofoasa of Ntroso in the
Brong Ahafo Region during the main season of 1947 and 1948. In 1949 he left the job to become a petty trader.
While he indulged in petty trade, he engaged in cocoa farming in 1950 at Ashiam, a village in
Sefwi-Bekwai.
In January 1955, he was appointed District Secretary of the United Ghana Farmers Council.
He also served as a Union Secretary and Assistant Marketing Officer of the Western Region prior to his appointment as the District Commissioner for
Bibiani in July 1959.
He later became the Regional Secretary of the
Convention People's Party
The Convention People's Party (CPP) is a 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 Convention (UG ...
in 1962 and in June 1965, he was made the member of parliament for the Dompim constituency. He held the appointments of Regional Secretary and member of parliament until 24 February 1966 when 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 ...
was overthrown.
Personal life
Essel married Madam Abena Kunadu also known by the name, Mary Acquah in 1949 however, the marriage was dissolved in 1955.
Together, they had three children.
In 1950, he married Madam Yaa Wiredua and together they had three children as well.
His second marriage ended in 1958.
His third marriage was with Madam Theresa Yaa Mansa in 1954.
Together, they also had three children.
See also
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essel, Joseph Ampah Kojo
1921 births
Ghanaian MPs 1965–1966
Convention People's Party (Ghana) politicians
20th-century Ghanaian politicians
Alumni of Adisadel College
Possibly living people