Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes (born 4 September 1939) was the

Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana The Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Ghana. The current speaker, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, was sworn-in for a second term as Speaker of the Ninth Parliament of Ghana after his reelection on ...

between 2005 and 2009.

Early life

Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes was born on 4 September 1939 at

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city and the capital of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Cape Coast Metropolitan District and the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana, Ghana. It is located about from Sekondi-Takoradi and approximately from Ac ...

, the capital of the Central Region of

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. From 1945 to 1953, he had his basic education at Cape Coast Government Boys School (now the Philip Quaque Boys School), founded c. 1766 by

Philip Quaque Philip Quaicoe (1741 – 17 October 1816) was the first African to be ordained as a minister by the Church of England. Biography Born in Cape Coast then known as (Gold Coast) and named Kweku, he was said to be the son of Birempong Cudjo, a c ...

, the first African to be ordained an Anglican vicar. His secondary education was at

Adisadel College Adisadel College, popularly known as "Adisco", is an Anglican boys' boarding school in Cape Coast, Ghana. It was established by Rt. Rev. Nathaniel T Hamlyn in 1910. Adisadel College is one of the oldest Senior high school, secondary schools in ...

between 1954 and 1960. In 1961 he gained admission to the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...

Legon Legon , a suburb of the Ghanaian city Accra, is situated about north-east of the city center in the Ayawaso West Municipal District, a district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Legon is home to the main campus of the University of Ghana. ...

, where he obtained a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1964. He then attended the

Ghana School of Law The Ghana School of Law (GSL) is an educational institution in Ghana for training lawyers. The school is the only institution responsible for training for law graduates in the Professional Law Course (PLC) programme and the Post-Call Law Course. ...

, graduating with an

LLB A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1966.

Career

Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes was admitted to the Ghana Bar as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

of the

Supreme Court of Ghana The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in Ghana. Constitution of Ghana, Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the Judiciary of Ghana, Judiciary from the Legislative and the Executive (governm ...

in 1966. He was in private legal practice in Accra and

Takoradi Sekondi-Takoradi ( ) is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan District and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city as well as ...

in the Western Region from October 1966. He was appointed

notary public A notary public ( notary or public notary; notaries public) of the common law is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with general financial transactions, estates, deeds, powers- ...

by the

Chief Justice of Ghana The chief justice of Ghana is the highest-ranking judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The chief justice is also the head of the Judiciary of Ghana and is responsible for its administration and supervision. In order of state precedence, the chief ...

in 1974. He rose to the level of Senior Advocate in 1990. Sekyi-Hughes was the President of the Western Region Branch of the

Ghana Bar Association The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) is a professional association of lawyers in Ghana, including what used to be called solicitors and barristers but they are now called legal practitioners, as well as magistrates.By convention, all lawyers admitted ...

from 1977 to 1981. He was also a member of the Judicial Council of Ghana during the same period. Sekyi-Hughes was elected by the chiefs and people of the Western Region to the

Council of State of Ghana The Council of State in Ghana is a body of prominent citizens, analogous to the Council of Elders in the traditional political system, which advises the president on national issues. The Council of State was established by Articles 89 to 92 of th ...

in 2001. Although he lost elections as the first National Vice-Chairman in the late 1990s, he remained loyal to the party until he was re-elected to the National Council of Elders and subsequently appointed as the Speaker of Parliament during the NPP Administration.

Family

Sekyi-Hughes is married with six children.

References

External links

Picture of Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sekyi Hughes, Ebenezer 1939 births Living people Alumni of Adisadel College 20th-century Ghanaian lawyers Speakers of the Parliament of Ghana Ghana School of Law alumni University of Ghana alumni People from Cape Coast Ghanaian Anglicans