Nathan Anang Quao, (21 November 1915 – 15 February 2005) 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 Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, educationist and diplomat who became a senior

presidential advisor Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tele ...

to the administrations of multiple

Heads 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 Ghana, Constitution of 1957 was the queen of Ghana, Elizabeth II, who was al ...

. His last roles in government were as a Secretary at the PNDC Secretariat from 1984 to 1993 and a Special Assistant to President

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 ...

from 1993 to 2001.

Early life and education

Quao was born at

Adawso Adawso is a farming community in the Akuapem North Municipal District in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It is located along the Koforidua-Mamfe highway. Infrastructure * Adawso Bridge over Afram River * Adawso Chief Palace * Adawso Fire Servi ...

in the Eastern Region on 21 November 1915 where his father Daniel James Quao of La was based as a general commodities merchant. His mother was Dinah Naa Densua Addy of

Ga-Mashie Ga-Mashie is the home of the original Ga settlers and the original name of Accra, Ghana's capital. They celebrate the Homowo Homowo is a harvest festival celebrated by the Ga people of Ghana in the Greater Accra Region. The festival starts in ...

. His maternal grandfather, Nii Ngleshie Addy I was of royal lineage and the oldest son of Nii Tetteh Tsuru I, the founder and ruler of the Otuopai Clan in Ga Mashie. He was a member of the

Ga people The Ga-Dangbe, Gã-Daŋbɛ, Ga-Dangme, or GaDangme are an ethnic group in Ghana, Togo and Benin. The Ga and Dangbe people are grouped respectively as part of the Ga–Dangme ethnolinguistic group. The Ga-Dangmes are one ethnic group that lives ...

of Accra. After his elementary education at

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

schools and secondary education at 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 ...

, he studied for his Bachelor of Arts degree from 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 ...

as an external student. He later obtained a

Postgraduate Certificate in Education The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE/PGCertEd) is a one- or two-year higher education course in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which provides training in order to allow graduates to become teachers within maintained schools. In ...

(PGCE) at the University College of the Gold Coast, then a constituent college of the

Career

His early career was in

teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the context of an educational institution. Teaching is closely re ...

. He taught at the

and was the first headmaster of the Keta Secondary School from 1953 to 1956. He also served as the Acting Principal of the Winneba Training College. Additionally, he taught at the Department of Teacher Training of the

Kumasi College of Technology , mottoeng = The knot of wisdom is untied only by the wise , established = 1952;

in 1957 and earlier on, at the Extra Mural Department of the University College of the Gold Coast from 1950 to 1951. Quao joined the foreign service of the Ghanaian civil service in 1959, becoming a

career 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 internatio ...

and civil servant in Belgrade, Ottawa and Paris and as Counsellor to Ghana's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City. Later on, he was appointed the Principal Secretary at 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 ...

in 1966. After the overthrow of Nkrumah, the military junta transferred him to the Office of 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 ...

(NLC) where he was originally Deputy Secretary to the NLC government before being appointed Secretary to the Executive Council. The Executive Council stood as the collective executive authority until the election of the prime minister in the Second Republic. In the Second Republic, he held the positions of Secretary to the Presidential Commission in 1969 and Secretary to the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

in 1970 and subsequently Secretary to the President upon assumption of the office of president by

Edward Akufo-Addo Edward Akufo-Addo (26 June 1906 – 17 July 1979) was a Ghanaian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the " Big Six" leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and one of the founding fathers of Ghana who engaged in the fight for ...

. Under the leadership of

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 ...

, Nathan Quao served as the Secretary to the

National Redemption Council The National Redemption Council (NRC) was the ruling Ghana military government from 13 January 1972 to 9 October 1975. Its chairman was Colonel I. K. Acheampong, who was thus also the head of state of Ghana. Duration of rule The NRC came into po ...

(NRC) and Head of the Civil Service, retiring in 1973. In 1974, Quao was appointed the Chairman of the Ghana Teaching Council and a member of the Manpower Board. In 1978, he was made chairman of the reconstituted

Ghana Education Service The Ghana Education Service (GES) is a government agency under the Ministry of Education responsible for implementing government policies that ensure that Ghanaians of school-going age irrespective of their ethnicity, gender, disability, religiou ...

Council. In 1980, he became a member of the

University of Cape Coast The University of Cape Coast is a public collegiate university located in the historic town of Cape Coast. The campus has a rare seafront and sits on a hill overlooking the wide Atlantic Ocean. It operates on two campuses: the Southern Campus (O ...

Council. He was however plucked out of retirement in 1985 and appointed a Secretary at the

PNDC 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 ...

Secretariat. Upon return to civilian rule in 1992, he became a Special Assistant to

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 ...

from 1993 to 2001. Quao was chairman of the board of Agricultural Development Bank from 1990 to 2002.

Personal life and family

He was married to Dora Tawia Quao (née Mettle) with two children. In addition, Quao's cousin was the Ghanaian barrister and judge,

Nii Amaa Ollennu Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu (21 May 1906 – 22 December 1986) was a jurist and judge who became a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana from 1962 to 1966, the acting President of Ghana during the Second Republic from 7 August 1970 to 31 August ...

who was elected the Speaker of 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, ...

during the Second Republic as well as serving as the Chairman of the Presidential Commission and acting

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 ...

from 7 August 1970 to 31 August 1970. Quao was the uncle of the Ghanaian economist and diplomat,

Amon Nikoi Amon Nikoi, born Seth Amon Nikoi, (19 January 1930 – 5 September 2002) was a Ghanaian economist and diplomat. He was the Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations between 1957 and 1960 as well as the Governor of the Bank of Ghana ...

, who was the Governor of the

Bank of Ghana The Bank of Ghana ( BoG) is the central bank of Ghana. It is located in Accra and was formed in 1957. The bank is active in developing financial inclusion policy and is a member of thAlliance for Financial Inclusion History The Central Ban ...

from 1973 to 1977 and Finance minister from 1979 to 1981. His brother-in-law, the Rev.

Carl Henry Clerk Carl Henry Clerk (4 January 1895 – 28 May 1982) was a Ghanaian agricultural educationist, administrator, journalist, editor and church minister who was elected the fourth Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast, assuming t ...

(1895–1982) was an agricultural educator and

Presbyterian minister Presbyterian (or presbyteral) polity is a method of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or ...

who was elected the fourth Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast from 1950 to 1954. Clerk was also the Editor of the Christian Messenger, the newspaper of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana from 1960 to 1963. Carl Clerk's sons were the academics,

Nicholas T. Clerk Nicholas Timothy Clerk (3 March 1930 – 22 September 2012) was a Ghanaian academic, administrator and Presbyterian minister who served as the Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) from 1977 to 1982. He ...

and

George C. Clerk George Carver Clerk, (29 July 1931 – 2 May 2019) was a Ghanaian botanist and plant pathologist. A professor and later, an emeritus professor at the University of Ghana, Legon, he also focused his research on West African mycology and ecolo ...

Death and state funeral

Nathan Quao died 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 15 February 2005 of

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

. He was accorded a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

on Friday 8 April 2005 at the Forecourt of the ''State House'' and buried at the La Public Cemetery by the Ghanaian government as a token of the state's appreciation of his distinguished service to the country.

Legacy and honours

He was a recipient of the

Order of the Volta The Order of the Volta is an order of merit from the Republic of Ghana. It was instituted in 1960 and is awarded to people for their outstanding service to the country.

(Civil Division) in 1975 and the Officer of the

Order of the Star of Ghana The Order of the Star of Ghana is the highest award given by the Government of Ghana to any individual who had helped the cause of the country in one way or the other. Recipients of this award are decorated at a state function, chaired by the Pr ...

(Civil Division) in 1997. In recognition of his service to the Ghanaian civil service, the Civil Service and Local Government Staff Association (CLOGSAG) renamed its auditorium in his memory. In addition, the Association made a book compilation of Quao's writings and memoirs to preserve his legacy. Furthermore, the Local Government Service of Ghana instituted "an Annual Awards Scheme as part of the United Nations /

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

Public Service Day to be sponsored by the

Government of Ghana The Government of Ghana was created as a parliamentary democracy, followed by alternating military and civilian governments in Ghana. In January 1993, military government gave way to the Fourth Republic after presidential and parliamentary electi ...

in his honour." A boys' dormitory at the Keta Secondary School, '' Quao House'' was named in his honour as the founding headmaster of the school. The ''Nathan Quao Street'' in the Accra suburb, Kaneshie, was named after him. In 2018, the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) instituted the Nathan Anang Quao annual lectures "not only to celebrate Mr. N.A. Quao a distinguished civil servant but also to continue to emphasize on the critical need for civil and local government service staff to exhibit professionalism and remain non-partisan in the performance of duties and service to the country."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quao, Nathan 1915 births 2005 deaths Alumni of the Accra Academy University of Ghana alumni Alumni of the University of London Ga-Adangbe people Ghanaian civil servants Ghanaian diplomats Heads of schools in Ghana Permanent Representatives of Ghana to the United Nations Ghanaian Presbyterians Ghanaian Protestants People from Accra Recipients of the Order of the Volta Recipients of the Order of the Star of Ghana Ghanaian presidential advisors