Lawrence Rosario Abavana
Lawrence Abavana | |
---|---|
Ferdinand Koblavi Dra Goka (ministry was merged with the Ministry of Finance) | |
Minister for Health | |
In office July 1960 – May 1961 | |
President | Dr. Kwame Nkrumah |
Succeeded by | Komla Agbeli Gbedemah |
In office October 1963 – January 1964 | |
President | Dr. Kwame Nkrumah |
Commissioner of Northern Ghana | |
In office 4 November 1957 – July 1960 | |
President | Dr. Kwame Nkrumah |
Minister for Agriculture | |
In office 1957 – 4 November 1957 | |
President | Dr. Kwame Nkrumah |
In office October 1961 – September 1962 | |
President | Dr. Kwame Nkrumah |
Preceded by | Kojo Botsio |
Succeeded by | Krobo Edusei |
Personal details | |
Born | Lawrence Rosario Abavana 1920 Navrongo, Gold Coast |
Died | 29 May 2004 | (aged 83–84)
Citizenship | Ghanaian |
Alma mater | Achimota College |
Lawrence Rosario Abavana (1920 – 29 May 2004) was a Ghanaian politician[1] and teacher by profession. He served in various ministerial portfolios in the first republic and also served as a member of the council of state in the third republic.[2] He was a member of the Convention People's Party (CPP).[3]
Early life and education
Abavana was born in 1920 at Navrongo. He had his early education at the Roman Catholic School in Navrongo. He continued at Achimota College where he was trained as a teacher.[4][5][6]
Politics
Member of parliament
He was elected as a member of the legislative assembly in 1951 representing Kassena-Nankana South under the ticket of the Convention People's Party (CPP) that same year, he was appointed ministerial secretary to the minister of communication and works. In 1954, he defeated J. E. Seyire of the Northern People's Party by 5,795 to 3,344 to retain his seat as a member of the legislative assembly.[7][1]
Ministerial secretary
In 1951, along with winning the Kassena-Nankana South seat under the ticket of the CPP, was appointed as ministerial secretary to the minister of communication and works. He became ministerial secretary to the minister of agriculture that same year of 1951.[8]
Minister of State
In 1956, he was appointed minister without portfolio.
In May 1961, he was appointed
In May 1964, he was appointed Minister for Interior,[17] and in February 1965, Minister for Mines and Mineral Resources.[18] On 11 June 1965, he was reappointed as Minister for Interior.[19][4] He served in that capacity until the Nkrumah government was overthrown in 1966.
Member of council of State
He was appointed a member of Council of state in the third republic by Hilla Limann which lasted from 1979 to 1981, until Hilla Limann was deposed in a coup by Jerry John Rawlings on 31 December 1981.[20][2]
Personal life
Abavana was a Roman Catholic and he served as the president of the Retired Catholic Workers Association from 1992 until his death.[2]
Death
Abavana died at the age of 84 on 29 May 2004. He was given a state burial in his hometown in Navrongo, Upper East Region on 3 July 2004.[2]
Memorials and legacy
Streets, roads, crescents and junctions have been named in honour of him, most popular amongst them are ones within the Accra Metropolitan specifically in Kotobabi and Maamobi.[21][22][23][24] There are schools within Accra and Northern which have structures named in honour of him, most notable amongst them is the Abavana Cluster of Schools, a basic school in Kotobabi within the Accra Metropolitan area.[25][26][27]
See also
- Nkrumah government
- Minister for Food and Agriculture (Ghana)
- Minister for Health (Ghana)
- Minister for Trade and Industry (Ghana)
- Minister for the Interior (Ghana)
- List of MLAs elected in the 1954 Gold Coast legislative election
- List of MLAs elected in the 1956 Gold Coast legislative election
- List of MPs elected in the 1965 Ghanaian parliamentary election
References
- ^ a b Assembly, Gold Coast Legislative (1956). "Debates".
- ^ a b c d Ghanaweb,"State burial for Abavana on July 3 at Navrongo", Ghanaweb.com, 23 June 2004.
- ISBN 978-1-56072-939-6.
- ^ a b "Ghana Year Book". Daily Graphic. 1966. p. 192.
- ^ a b The New Ghana, Volume 7. Ghana Information Services Department. 1962. p. 93.
- ^ a b "Ghana Year Book". Daily Graphic. 1956. p. 118.
- ^ Michael Eli Dokosi,"The electoral victories and shock losses of the 1954 Gold Coast election", blakkpepper.com, 10 June 2018.
- ^ Debates. Gold Coast. Legislative Assembly. 1956. p. 119.
- ISBN 9780821413067.
- ^ Ghana Today, Volumes 1-2. Information Section, Ghana Office. 1957. p. 98.
- ISBN 9781560729396.
- ^ "WORKING HONEYMOON IN AFRICA". Ebony. USA: Johnson Publishing Company. March 1961. p. 47. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ Commonwealth Survey, Volume 7. H.M.S.O. 1961. p. 1007.
- ^ The Ghana Farmer, Volume 6, Issue 1. Department of Agriculture. 1962. p. 42.
- ^ Africa Diary, Volume 3. Africa Publications (India). 1963. p. 994.
- ^ Agency, United States Central Intelligence (1963). "Daily Report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts".
- ^ Executive Instruments. Ghana Publishing Company. 1964. p. 106.
- ^ West Africa. West Africa Publishing Company, Limited. 1965. p. 127.
- ^ Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Parts 1-2. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Ltd. 1967. p. 762.
- ^ West Africa, Issues 3336-3360. West Africa Publishing Company Limited. 1981. p. 1902.
- ^ "Abavana Street, Accra Metropolitan". cartogiraffe.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Abavana - ghana-streets.openalfa.com/streets". ghana-streets.openalfa.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "UDS Navrongo Campus Should Be Renamed After Lawrence Rosario Abavana And Not C.K. Tedam". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Abavana Maamobi - Google Search". google.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Ayawaso Central bags GH₵881,316 revenue in 9 months". Ghanaian Times. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ Dogbevi, Emmanuel (30 January 2012). "USAID grants Ghana $2.3m for construction of basic school complexes in Accra". Ghana Business News. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Abavana Schools Get Waste Bins". DailyGuide Network. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.