J.H. Mensah unmatched – Ofori-Atta

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has eulogised the late J.H. Mensah, an economist credited with several interventions in the 70s and 80s.

Mr Mensah died in the early hours of Thursday, 12 July 2018. He was 89.

At the presentation of the mid-year budget review to parliament on Thursday, 18 July 2018, Mr Ofori-Atta said the country has “not seen exemplary an economist like him in this republic”.

About Mr Mensah

Mr Mensah began working as an assistant inspector of taxes in 1953 while the Gold Coast was still under colonial rule.

In 1958, Mr Mensah joined the United Nations Secretariat at the Centre for Development Planning, Projections and Policies, in New York City, United States. He returned to Ghana in 1961 as the Head of Agency at the National Planning Commission which drew and implemented the country's Seven-Year Development Plan (1962–1969).

In 1969, he was elected to parliament and became the Finance Minister until 1972, when he was replaced by future head of state Ignatius Kutu Acheampong after the military coup. In 2005, he was appointed Senior Minister by President J.A Kufuor.

Speaking on TV3’s New Day on Saturday, 14 July, Mr Amoah said: “The current MPs must emulate him if we want to succeed in parliament. This is a man who never slept, he was always working.”

“He took the work of parliament seriously and we must all learn from that,” he added.