Kofi Abrefa Busia (born 11 July 1913 – 28 August 1978) 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 Tog ...
ian political leader and academic who was
Prime Minister of Ghana from 1969 to 1972. As a nationalist leader and prime minister, he helped to restore civilian government to the country following military rule.
Early life and education
Busia was born a
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2.
Born and raised in Dublin, he attended ...
prince in the traditional kingdom of
Wenchi, in the
Brong Ahafo Region, one of the four
Gold Coast Territories, then under
British rule and now called Ghana.
He was educated at Methodist School, Wenchi,
Mfantsipim School,
Cape Coast
Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guine ...
, then at
Wesley College, Kumasi
Wesley College of Education is a teacher education college in Kumasi, Ashanti Region in Ghana. It was initially established for the training of teachers, catechists and ministers. It was founded by the Methodist Church, located between New Taf ...
, from 1931 to 1932. He taught at Wesley College and left to study at
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 school ...
in 1935 and taught there. He gained his first degree with Honours in Medieval and Modern History 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 degr ...
, through correspondence during this period. He then went on to study at
University College, Oxford
University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...
,
where he was the college's first African student. He returned to the Gold Coast in 1942.
He took a
BA (Hons)
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (1941,
MA 1946) and a
DPhil
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in Social Anthropology in 1947 at
Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is a graduate college and specialises in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. Nuffield is one of Oxford's newer c ...
, with a thesis entitled "The position of the chief in the modern political system of Ashanti: a study of the influence of contemporary social changes on Ashanti political institutions". He was a
Fulbright scholar
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...
in 1954.
Career
Busia served as a district
commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
from 1942 to 1949, and was appointed first lecturer in
African Studies. He became the first African to occupy a chair at the University College of the Gold Coast (now the
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities.
The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...
). In 1951 he was elected by the
Ashanti Confederacy
The Asante Empire (Asante Twi: ), today commonly called the Ashanti Empire, was an Akan state that lasted between 1701 to 1901, in what is now modern-day Ghana. It expanded from the Ashanti Region to include most of Ghana as well as parts of Iv ...
to the Legislative Council. In 1952, he was Leader of
Ghana Congress Party
The Ghana Congress Party was founded in May 1952 by Kofi Busia who also its leader. The party was formed by dissatisfied former Convention People's Party members, along with the United Gold Coast Convention
The United Gold Coast Convention ( ...
,
which later merged with the other opposition parties to form the
United Party (UP).
As leader of the opposition against
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 ...
, he fled the country on the grounds that his life was under threat. In 1959, Busia became a Professor of Sociology and Culture of Africa at the
University of Leiden
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...
near
the Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
, Netherlands. From 1962 until 1969, he was a Fellow of
St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises in international relations, economi ...
.
He returned to Ghana in March 1966, after Nkrumah's government was overthrown by the military, to serve on the
National Liberation Council (NLC) of General
Joseph Ankrah
Joseph Arthur Ankrah Born (18 August 1915 – 25 November 1992) was a Ghanaian army general who was the head of state of Ghana from 1966 to 1969 in the position of Chairman of the National Liberation Council. Before becoming head of state, Ankra ...
, the military head of state;
and was appointed as the Chairman of the National Advisory Committee of the NLC. In 1967/68, Busia served as the Chairman of the Centre for Civic Education. He used this opportunity to promote himself as the next leader. He also was a Member of the Constitutional Review Committee. When the NLC lifted the ban on politics, Busia, together with Lawyer Sylvester Kofi Williams and friends in the defunct UP formed the
Progress Party (PP).
[
In 1969, the PP won the parliamentary elections with 105 of the 140 seats. This paved the way for him to become the next Prime Minister. Busia continued with NLC's anti-Nkrumaist stance and adopted a liberalised economic system. There was a mass deportation of half a million Nigerian citizens from Ghana, and a 44 percent devaluation of the ]cedi
The cedi ( ) (currency sign: GH₵; currency code: GHS) is the unit of currency of Ghana. It is the fourth historical and only current legal tender in the Republic of Ghana. One cedi is divided into one hundred pesewas (Gp).
After independenc ...
in 1971, which met with a lot of resistance from the public.
While he was in Britain for a medical check-up, the army under Colonel 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 ...
overthrew his government on 13 January 1972. Busia remained in exile in England and returned to 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 died from a heart attack in August 1978.
Busia's name is associated with Ghana's political right, along with J. B. Danquah
Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah (18 December 1895 – 4 February 1965) was a Ghanaian politician, scholar, lawyer, and one of the founding fathers of Ghana. He played a significant role in pre- and post-colonial Ghana, which was former ...
and S. D. Dombo. The New Patriotic Party
, logo =
, colorcode = #132f7a
, founder =
, founded = 28 July 1992
, dissolved =
, leader = Nana Akufo-Addo
, chairman = Stephen Ayensu Ntim
Stephen Ntim elected NPP National Chairman on fifth attempt http://www.gna.org.gh/1.2152672 ...
has claimed the Danquah-Busia-Dombo mantle in the Fourth Republic.
Bibliography
* ''The Position of the Chief in the Modern Political System of Ashanti''. London, 1951 (orig. dissertation, Oxford)
* ''The Sociology and Culture of Africa''. Leiden, 1960
* ''The Challenge of Africa''. New York, 1962
* ''Purposeful Education for Africa''. The Hague, 1964
* ''Urban Churches in Britain''. London, 1966
* ''Africa in Search of Democracy''. London, 1967
References
External links
Ghana-pedia webpage – Dr Kofi A. Busia
Ghanaweb about Dr. Busia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Busia, Kofi Abrefa
1913 births
1978 deaths
Alumni of Nuffield College, Oxford
Alumni of the University of London
Alumni of University College, Oxford
Fellows of St Antony's College, Oxford
Fulbright alumni
Ghana Congress Party politicians
Ghanaian democracy activists
Ghanaian Methodists
Ghanaian MPs 1951–1954
Ghanaian MPs 1954–1956
Ghanaian MPs 1956–1965
Ghanaian MPs 1969–1972
Ghanaian royalty
Leaders ousted by a coup
Leiden University faculty
Mfantsipim School alumni
People from Brong-Ahafo Region
Prime ministers of Ghana
Progress Party (Ghana) politicians
United Party (Ghana) politicians
University of Ghana faculty