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Dr. Obed Yao Asamoah
Dr. Obed Asamoah was born on 6 February 1936 in Likpe Bala, Ghana. He attended Achimota Secondary School and earned a bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) with honours in 1960 at Kings College, London Uni...view moreDr. Obed Asamoah was born on 6 February 1936 in Likpe Bala, Ghana. He attended Achimota Secondary School and earned a bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) with honours in 1960 at Kings College, London University. He also qualified as a Barrister-at-Law before returning to Ghana. He later attended Colombia Law School in New York, obtaining a doctorate (JSD) in 1967.
In 1964 and 1965, Dr. Asamoah was the Assistant Director of the Dag Hammarskjold Seminar on International Law organised at The Hague Academy for young diplomats and lecturers from the developing world. He also worked for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in New York as a Research Assistant on Issues before the General Assembly, published in 1964 and 1965. He returned to Ghana in 1965 as a Lecturer in Law at the University of Ghana.
His active involvement in politics started in 1966, after the overthrow of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of 1968 and the Consultative Assembly of 1978, both charged with drafting new constitutions following periods of military rule. He was a member of Parliament from 1969–1972, serving as the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. In 1982, he was appointed the Secretary for Foreign Affairs by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) headed by Flt. Lt. Rawlings. He also served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, holding both portfolios concurrently for four years. He left public office in January 2001.
During his career, Dr. Asamoah was instrumental in the formation and growth of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the party of the current President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama. Dr. Asamoah also served as the General Secretary of the United National Convention (UNC) from 1979 to 1981 and of the All Peoples Party (APP) in 1981. He is also the author of The Legal Significance of the Declarations of the General Assembly of the United Nations (Nijhoff, 1967).
Dr. Asamoah is married to Dr. Yvonne Asamoah of Syracuse, New York, with whom he has a daughter and two sons. Dr. Obed Asamoah lives in Accra, Ghana.
This book is a fascinating account of the author’s life amidst the Gold Coast’s struggle for freedom from British colonial rule, the deadly rivalry between the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) led by Dr. Danquah, and many more events in the country’s history.view less
Books by Dr. Obed Yao Asamoah
The Political History of Ghana (1950-2013): The Experience of a Non-Conformist