Paul Victor Obeng
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Paul Victor Obeng KSG also known as P. V. Obeng (19 August 1947 – 17 May 2014) was a
Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...
mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...
and politician. He was the chairman of the
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), commonly known as UST, Tech or Kwame Tech, is a public university located in Kumasi, Ashanti region, Ghana. The university focuses on science and technology. It is the second public uni ...
council. In 2010, he was appointed by the President
John Atta Mills John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as the 11th president of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the govern ...
administration as Chairman of the
National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) The National Development Planning Commission  is a Ghanaian state agency committed to eradicating poverty and reducing inequalities in deprived areas and rural communities. The commission was established in 1992. History The establishment o ...
. Until his death, he was the Senior Presidential Adviser at Presidency to President John Dramani Mahama. He served under President's
Jerry John Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (born Jerry Rawlings John; 22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer, aviator, and politician who led the country briefly in 1979 and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1993 and then se ...
, John Evans Atta Mills and
John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who has been the 14th president of Ghana since January 2025. A member of the National Democratic Congress (Ghana), National Democratic Congress (NDC), he served as the 12th p ...
in different capacities. He was a member and coordinating secretary and chairman of the Committee of Secretaries of the Provisional National Defence Council. He died on 17 May 2014.


Early life and education

Paul Victor Obeng was born on 19 August 1949 to James Obeng and Mary Obeng. A member of the Akan ethnic group he hailed from the town of
Akrokerri Akrokerri is a town and a suburb of Obuasi in the Ashanti 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 border ...
in the Adansi North district of the
Ashanti Region The Ashanti Region is located in the southern part of Ghana and is the third largest of Regions of Ghana, 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of and making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the List of ...
of Ghana. He started his basic school in his hometown, Akrokerri and later proceeded to Opoku Ware School for his secondary school education. He attended
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), commonly known as UST, Tech or Kwame Tech, is a public university located in Kumasi, Ashanti region, Ghana. The university focuses on science and technology. It is the second public uni ...
(KNUST) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in
mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...
, first-class Honours. Whilst a student, he was a member of the Katanga Hall, serving as the Hall President at one point in time and subsequently the Students Representative Council President of KNUST in 1972.


Career

Obeng was the chief consultant and Chairman of OB Associates, a public and private sector consulting firm and chairman of Ghana Agro and Food company (GAFCO). In addition, he served as the board director on the Board of Guinness Ghana Limited. He was also the board chairman of the Board of Mining and Building Contractors.


Politics


Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC)

Obeng got into politics after Jerry John Rawling overthrew the Hilla Limann government in a coup on 31 December 1981. He was member of the 8 core member council of the
Provisional National Defence Council 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 ...
. He served as the chairman of the Committee of Secretaries under the Provisional National Defence Council regime (PNDC) from 1982 to 1992. Within this period the public saw him as the de facto Prime Minister and Second-in-Command to Jerry Rawlings.


National Democratic Congress (NDC)

He was a founding member of the National Democratic Congress in 1992. He served as Presidential Adviser to Jerry John Rawlings on Governmental Affairs under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from 1992 to 1997. He also served as Chairman of the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) from 1992 to 1997. In January 2009, he was appointed by President-elect of John Evans Atta Mills as the Chairman of the 12-member Transitional Team to assist in the transition from the Kufuor Administration to his Government, with Alex Segbefia as Secretary and Hanna Tetteh as Spokesperson. In January 2010, he was appointed by the President John Atta Mills administration as Chairman of the
National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) The National Development Planning Commission  is a Ghanaian state agency committed to eradicating poverty and reducing inequalities in deprived areas and rural communities. The commission was established in 1992. History The establishment o ...
. He served in that capacity until he died and was replaced by former finance Minister Dr Kwesi Botchwey. On 21 January 2013, he was appointed by President Mahama as his Senior Presidential Adviser at the Presidency, a position he held until he died in May 2014.


Football administration

In 2002, Obeng was appointed as the board chairman of the Board of Directors of Kumasi Asante Kotoko S.C. He served in that role from 2002 to 2005. His time as chairman at the club was marked with illustrious silverware for the club as the club won the Ghana Premier League and SWAG Cup twice in 2003 and 2005. Upon him dying, Asante Kotoko rivals Hearts of Oak issued a statement signed by their Board Chairman
Togbe Afede XIV Togbe Afede XIV (born James Akpo; 23 April 1957) is the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, President of Asogli Traditional Area, and former President of the National House of Chiefs. Early life and education Togbe Afede XIV was born as James ...
conveying their condolences in solidarity that;
“Kumasi Asante Kotoko has indeed lost a gem of a football administrator; Ghana football has lost a towering figure, one of its prized senior citizens''


Personal life

Paul Victor Obeng was married to Rose Obeng and they had four children. He was a Christian and worshipped as a
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
. After his death, his wife Rose eulogized memory of the late husband and described him as
'' a man of many attributes, brilliant, hard-working, selfless, diplomatic, but nevertheless modest ''.


Honours and recognition

On 7 July 2007, Obeng was honoured with the Order of the Volta (Companion Division) for his service to the development of Ghana by President John Agyekum Kufuor. Other 75 people including Akilakpa Sawyerr were also honoured. In 2009, Obeng along with Thomas Kwaku Mensah and 27 other people were bestowed with honorary titles of Monsignor and Knighthood by Pope Benedict XVI. He was honoured with Papal Knighthood of St. Gregory the Great Award, which is the 4th highest of the Papal order and Knight awards given out by Catholic Pope. He was knighted for his exceptional contributions in both cash and kind to the growth of the Obuasi Diocese in Ghana since its creation 14 years ago.


Death and burial

On 17 May 2014, it was reported that Obeng died at the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) Hospital in Teshie after he collapsed at the Agape Filling Station at Spintex Road in Accra. He was 66. With Obeng being a long-time statesman, he was given a state funeral at the forecourt of the State House in Accra on 15 August 2014. The funeral was officiated by Archbishop Charles G. Palmer-Buckle and attended by high-profile personalities in the political circles of Ghana, including former President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, former President John Agyekum Kufuor; President John Dramni Mahama and his wife Lordina Mahama, Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, Chief Justice Mrs. Georgina Wood and other politicians, statesmen and diplomats. He was later buried in his hometown, Akrokerri in the Ashanti Region after state funeral on 16 August 2014.


Legacy and memorial


PV Obeng Avenue and roundabout

In August 2015, also being the birth month of Obeng, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) named and unveiled a road and roundabout at Tema within the Tema Community Three area around CMB Quarters zone to P. V. Obeng Avenue and P. V. Obeng Roundabout respectively, after him to eulogise his memories and recognise his contributions to the development of the country and Tema Metropolitan area where he resided. The announcement and unveiling was by Metropolitan Chief Executive of Tema, Isaac Ashai Odamtten at a function organised by the TMA and the Greater Accra coordinating branch.


Memorial lectures

In August 2015, the first Paul Victor Obeng Memorial lectures was organized by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Alumni Association, Tema Chapter in memory of him. Kwame Saarah-Mensah former Minister of Youth and Sports in the PNDC era was the Keynote speaker and William Otoo Ellis, then Vice Chancellor of KNUST was the chairman. The theme of the lecture was ''The Man P. V. Obeng''. In 2016, the second memorial lecture was organised with Rev. Charles G. Palmer-Buckle being the keynote speaker Since his death in 2014, people in and outside the political scene in Ghana who looked up to him continue to write and show their admiration for his tolerance and leadership skills.


See also

* Provisional National Defence Council regime (PNDC) *
National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) The National Development Planning Commission  is a Ghanaian state agency committed to eradicating poverty and reducing inequalities in deprived areas and rural communities. The commission was established in 1992. History The establishment o ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obeng, Paul Victor 1947 births 2014 deaths National Democratic Congress (Ghana) politicians Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology alumni Alumni of Opoku Ware School 20th-century Ghanaian engineers Knights of St. Gregory the Great Ghanaian Roman Catholics Recipients of the Order of the Volta Akan people Politicians from Ashanti Region 21st-century Ghanaian engineers