Kojo Botsio (21 February 1916 – 6 February 2001) was a

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 ...

ian

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

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He studied in Britain, where he became the treasurer of the

West African National Secretariat The West African National Secretariat (WANS) was a Pan-Africanist movement founded by Kwame Nkrumah, based in Britain. Nkrumah founded WANS in December 1945, immediately following the Pan-African Congress#5th Pan-African Congress, Manchester Pan-Af ...

and an acting warden for the

West African Students' Union The West African Students' Union (WASU), founded in London, England, in 1925 and active into the 1960s,"History o ...

. He served as his country's first Minister of Education and Social Welfare from 1951, as

Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

twice in the government of Kwame Nkrumah, and was a leading figure in the ruling

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).

Early life and education

Kojo Botsio attended Adisadel College, Cape Coast and then the

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 ...

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, , ...

. He proceeded to

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

, where he obtained his first degree from the Fourah Bay College, Fourah Bay University College, the only

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

at the time. He then went 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 ...

in 1945 and attended

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where he was awarded a postgraduate degree in Geography and Education.

Career

Botsio was a teacher at the St. Augustine's College and the London City Council Secondary School in the United Kingdom. He was also once Vice-Principal of

Abuakwa State College Abuakwa State College is a co-ed second cycle institution in Kibi, Ghana, Kibi in Eastern Region (Ghana), Eastern Region of Ghana. History The school was established in 1936 by three elders of the Methodist Church Ghana, Methodist Church at Asafo ...

at Kibi in Ghana. Some of his students have been

Kofi Baako Kofi Baako (1926-1984) was a Ghanaian sportsman, teacher and politician. He served as Minister for Defence in the Nkrumah government during the First Republic of Ghana until it was overthrown in 1966. He was also as Minister for various other Min ...

and P. K. K. Quaidoo who were both ministers in Nkrumah's government.

Politics

Botsio first met Nkrumah in 1945 while in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He helped form the CPP. He first entered the Legislative Assembly of Ghana when he won the Winneba seat at the 1951 Gold Coast legislative election and served under Kwame Nkrumah who was the leader of government business. He continued to be in the legislative assembly until 1957, when he became a

Member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP). He remained an MP until 1966 when the

Parliament of Ghana The Parliament of Ghana is the legislative body of the Government of Ghana. History Legislative representation in Ghana dates back to 1850, when the country was a British colony known as Gold Coast. The body, called the Legislative Council, ...

was suspended by the

National Liberation Council The National Liberation Council (NLC) led the Ghanaian government from 24 February 1966 to 1 October 1969. The body emerged from a ''coup d'état'' against the Nkrumah government carried out jointly by the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Armed For ...

which had overthrown the CPP government of Kwame Nkrumah. He was with Nkrumah when he died in 1972. He initially served as the Minister for Trade and Industry in the CPP government. He was also at various times, minister for Foreign Affairs, Social Welfare, Transport and Communications, Agriculture, Trade and Development.

Family

Kojo Botsio was married to Ruth Whittaker. They had two children, Kojo and Merene, both

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

References

1916 births 2001 deaths Ghanaian MPs 1951–1954 Ghanaian MPs 1954–1956 Ghanaian MPs 1956–1965 Ghanaian MPs 1965–1966 Alumni of Achimota School Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Fourah Bay College alumni Foreign ministers of Ghana Labour ministers of Ghana Agriculture ministers of Ghana Trade ministers of Ghana Convention People's Party (Ghana) politicians Ghanaian independence activists Alumni of Adisadel College {{Ghana-diplomat-stub