Amissah-Arthur buried

Former Vice-President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur has been buried at the Military Cemetery at Burma Camp in Accra.

The state burial which took place on Friday, 27 July 2018 was preceded with the funeral service at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).

He was, on Thursday, 26 July 2018, laid in state at the foyer of the Accra International Conference Centre where the public filed past his remains to pay their last respects.

Matilda Amissah-Arthur, widow of the late former vice-president, expressed shock over the wonderful tributes given about her deceased husband by some people she claimed vilified and maligned him when he was alive.

In her tribute, Mrs Amissah-Artur said: “Over the last few weeks, I have been amazed at the number of people who have come to show appreciation and I ask myself: ‘Is this Ghana?’ Are all these people in Ghana because of the maligning, the lies, the treachery, the wickedness, the mischievousness?

“I ask myself: Is this Ghana? I ask myself is this my own husband that you have come to say tribute to? And today, I ask the same question: Did people really know my husband? Did they take time to know him? The false accusations, the lies the maligning, did they know him? My dearest, me, your children, we know you.”

Effe Amissah-Arthur, mother of Mr Amissah-Arthur, said it is hard for her to have lost her son, whom she also described as a friend.

In a tribute read on her behalf, the octogenarian recalled memories of Amissah-Arthur’s childhood, his love for school, how observant he was and the love he showed to his family.

The late vice-president’s mother, said: “It is hard to lose a son, it is hard to lose a loyal friend, it is hard to lose Kwesi Bekoe. My comfort is that God knows the way it is, God is his own interpreter and he makes known all that we do not understand. I thank God for his life. Job said: ‘The Lord gives and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised’. Amen.”

Meanwhile, the government of Ghana has decided to re-name Moree Senior High School in the Central Region after the late former Vice-President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur.

“In consultation with his family, His Excellency the president and the government, have decided to rename Moree Senior High School to Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur Senior High School in honour of the late vice-president”, Dr Bawumia said at the pre-burial ceremony at the Accra International Conference Centre on Friday, 27 July.

The vice-president described his late predecessor as a “man who couldn’t hurt a fly”.

The funeral was attended by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and their spouses. Other dignitaries present were former presidents Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor and John Mahama; the Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice, the Chief of Staff, Ministers of State, Members of the Council of State, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Members of the National Democratic Congress, political party representatives, close friends and family.

Mr Amissah-Arthur died on 29 June after collapsing during a workout session at the Airforce Gym.

He was 67.

The man Amissah-Arthur

Amissah-Arthur was the sixth Vice President of Ghana, in office from 6 August 2012 until 7 January 2017, under President John Dramani Mahama. Previously, he was Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 2009 to 2012.

He was sworn in as Vice-President on 6 August 2012, following vetting by Parliament.

He was nominated by Former President John Dramani Mahama to be vice president a week after Mahama himself was sworn in.This followed the sudden death of President John Atta Mills on 24 July 2012.

Economics and consultancy

Amissah-Arthur was a research assistant at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research between 1974 and 1975. He later joined the Economics Department as a teaching assistant from 1977 to 1978, going on to become an assistant lecturer in 1979.

He lectured at the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana between 1980 and 1988. He has also been a lecturer at the Department of Economics, Anambra State College of Education, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria (August 1981 – July 1983).[7] He went into politics until 1997. He worked as a consultant for the World Bank in The Gambia. He also served as a consultant for the Netherlands’ government education project in Ghana. He then worked as Senior Economist for the Sigma One Corporation in Ghana between 1998 and 2000. Between 2001 and 2002, he was on assignment for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Politics

From 1983 to 1986, Amissah-Arthur served as a special assistant to the Secretary of Finance and Economic Planning, Kwesi Botchwey, in the Provisional National Defence Council government. Subsequently, he was Deputy Secretary for Finance in the PNDC government from February 1986 to March 1993. From April 1993, he continued as the Deputy Minister for Finance in the Rawlings government after the establishment of constitutional rule until March 1997.

Amissah-Arthur was appointed as Governor of the Bank of Ghana in October 2009 by President John Atta Mills. He held this position until 6 August 2012, when he became Vice-President of Ghana following the death of Atta Mills.

Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com