George Benneh

George Benneh FGA, OSG (born 6 March 1934) is a Ghanaian academic and university administrator who served as the vice-chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon from 1992 to 1996.[1][2] He was a professor and later an emeritus professor of Geography and Resource Development at the same university.[1][2] Between 1979 and 1980, Benneh was also the Commissioner and Minister of Lands, Natural Resources, Fuel and Power.[1][2][3] He also served as the Finance minister from 1980 to 1981 under Hilla Limann during the Third Republic.[1][2][3]

George Benneh

FGA, OSG
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana
In office
1992–1996
Preceded byAkilagpa Sawyerr
Succeeded byIvan Addae Mensah
Minister for Finance and Economic Planning
In office
1980–1981
Commissioner and Minister of Lands, Natural Resources, Fuel and Power
In office
1979–1980
Personal details
Born (1934-03-06) 6 March 1934
Jamdede, Berekum
Nationality
ParentsIsaac William Benneh (father)
Education

Early life and education

George Benneh was born on 6 March 1934 in the small town of Jamdede, about a kilometre from Berekum in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana.[1][2] His father was Isaac William Benneh, a politician during the First Republic under the Nkrumah government. During his childhood, he spent his school vacations helping out on a cocoa farm his family owned at Prusu.[1][2] On the way to the farm early in the mornings, he and his family stopped along the way to have a palm soup meal as the journey was long.[1][2]

Raised a Catholic, Benneh had his primary and middle education at the Berekum Catholic Primary and Middle Schools from 1941 and 1949, culminating in the Common Entrance Examination towards the end of 1949.[1][2] Benneh studied at Achimota School during his secondary years from 1950 and 1956 where he obtained the GCE Ordinary Level (1954) and GCE Advanced Level (1956) certificates.[1][2] At Achimota, his nickname was “Anago”, an allusion to his athletic prowess.[1][2] At the age of 14, while in Form Three, he led the Achimota Athletic Team to compete with Kings College, a notable secondary school in Lagos, Nigeria.[1][2] He also won the 800 yard-race during the Inter-College Games at the Accra Sports Stadium.[1][2]

In 1957, he was among 4 students who were awarded the Shell Ghana Independence Scholarship for university studies at the University College of Ghana, then a constituent college of the University of London where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography in 1960.[1][2] At Legon, he captained the University of Ghana Athletics Team from 1958 to 1959. Between 1961 and 1964, he did his postgraduate studies at the London School of Economics, from where he received his PhD.[1][2]

Career

Academia

At the beginning of his career, just before his doctoral studies, he taught geography at Achimota School in 1961.[1][2] Benneh was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Ghana, Legon in 1964, Senior Lecturer in 1973, Associate Professor in 1976 and Full Professor in 1989.[1][2] As a university administrator, he served as the chairman of the Department of Geography and Resource Development, senior tutor of the Commonwealth Hall, dean of the Faculty of Social Studies and Pro-Vice-Chancellor, director of Population Impact Project funded by the USAID.[1][2] Benneh was appointed at vice-chancellor of the University of Ghana in 1992 and retired in 1996.[1][2] Benneh became an emeritus professor of Geography and Resource Development after his stint as a vice-chancellor.[1][2] He has stated that in his academic career, he largely self-funded his own research projects.[1][2]

Additionally, he was a visiting fellow at the Institute of Geography, University of Copenhagen, Denmark in 1973, 1983 and in 1996.[1][2] In 1982, he was a Senior Fulbright Hays Visiting Professor at the Department of Geography at the University of Pittsburgh and also, Visiting Professor, Department of Geography and Research Associate at the Centre for Research on Economic Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.[1][2]

He was a distinguished visiting professor and guest speaker at the 50th Anniversary of the Fulbright Hayes Fellowship Anniversary Conference in Atlanta, in 1996. In 1997, he was the John Cadbury Fellow at the Centre for West African Studies at the University of Birmingham, and a Visiting Lecturer, Department of Geography, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.

Foray into politics

George Benneh was appointed the Commissioner for Lands, Natural Resources, Fuel and Power from 1979 to 1980. Concurrently, he was the Minister of Lands, Natural Resources, Fuel and Power.[1][2][3] Between 1980 and 1981, he served as the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.[1][2][3] After the June 1979 and December 1981 coups d’état, both led by Jerry John Rawlings, he was thrown into jail without trial by the military junta on allegations of corruption. He spent a total of ten weeks in prison before being set free. In an interview with the national newspaper, Daily Graphic, he described his prison experience as humiliating, adding that “If you have not been deprived of your freedom, you will not appreciate what freedom is.” [1][2][3]

Other activities

Consultancies

George Benneh has consulted for many international organisations including the World Bank, United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNESCO, United Nations University in Tokyo, UNFPA, Catholic University Louvain in Belgium, Moscow State University, Russia, and the Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.[1][2][3] Benneh was the Team Leader of UNFPA Population Review and Strategy Development Mission to the Republic of Tanzania in 1991, member of the United Nations University Feasibility Team for the establishment of Research and Training Centre at Lucerne, Switzerland in 1998, and member of the United Nations University International Feasibility Study Group for Research and Training Centre on Nature and Human Security in Bonn, Germany in 2000.[1][2][3]

National Boards and Committees
  • 1969 – 1971 - President of the Amalgamated Sports Club of the University of Ghana
  • 1972 – 1974 – Member, Board of Directors of Graphic Corporation of Ghana Chairman of Lands Commission
  • 1974 – 1978 - Member, Sunyani Diocesan Catholic Laity Council and the First Secretary of the Ghana National Catholic Laity Council
  • 1980 – Co-Chairman of Planning Committee on the Papal visit to Ghana by John Paul II
  • 1982 - President of Ghana Tae Kwan Do
  • 1988 – 1992 – Chairman, Board of Directors of Bank of Ghana
  • 1993 – Member of National Development Planning Commission
  • 1997 – 2002 – Chairman, Ghana National Population Council
  • 1997 – 2002 – Chairman, National Council for Tertiary Education
  • 1997 – 2002 – Chairman of Board of Directors, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation
  • 2000 – Chairman, Technical Advisory Committee on the 2000 National Population and Housing Census

International appointments

Awards, honours and authorship

George Benneh has authored over 13 books and booklets and 70 other publications in Geography, Environment, Land Tenure and Land Use, Population, Education and Public Administration.[1][2][3] Some of his books include A New Geography of Ghana (1970) and Technology Should Seek Tradition: Studies on Traditional Land Tenure and Small Holder Farming Systems in Ghana (2011).[4][5][6][7][8]

He has participated in over 60 International Conferences, Seminars and Workshops including the International Workshop and Rural Poverty Eradication in the 21st Century held in Tokyo in 2000, and the AAU General Conference held in Nairobi in February 2001.[1][2][3] George Benneh received the United Nations Global 500 award at the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 for his contribution to teaching and research in the fields of Population and Environment.[1][2][3] He was named the Man of the Year in 1997 by the American Biographical Institute. He is a Member of the New York Academy of Sciences and a Member of New York Academy of Science. He is also a Member of the Academia Europaea (European Academy). He has received several state awards from his native Ghana and other states: Grand Officer De Ordre Du Lion, Republic of Senegal, 1981, Companion of River Gambia, Republic of The Gambia, 1981 and member of the Order of the Star of Ghana, 2006.[1][2][3]

He has also been awarded honorary doctorate degrees (Doctor of Letters – honoris causa) by a number of universities including University of Copenhagen, 1998, Longwood College, Virginia, USA in 1995, University of Tokyo in 1996 and University of Ghana, 2002 and University for Development Studies, Tamale in 2003 for the role he played in setting it up.

The University of Ghana, Legon named a roundabout in honour of George Benneh.[9][10]

He launched his autobiography, 'My Time, My Nation' in 2017.[3] In the book he recounts his childhood, school years at Achimota.[3] There are also chapters of his life as an African postgraduate student in Britain and his encounter with racism in the United States. He gives a systemic account of his academic and political careers and how he survived serving under different political regimes and military interventions in the country.[3]

Benneh has also donated a 257 multidisciplinary collection of books from the personal library to the Balme Library of the University of Ghana.[11] Some of his books include Fighting For Freedom, Energy And Ghana’s Socio-Economic Development, Technology Should Seek Tradition, Gender: Evolving Roles And Perceptions, Harnessing Research, Science And Technology For Sustainable Development In Ghana, Women And Development In The Third World, European Review, Ghana @ 50 Anniversary Lectures, Philosophy and Human Geography: An Introduction To Contemporary Approaches, Population Dynamics of Kenya.[11]

Foundation

To bridge the research-policy gap and to bring science and technology to the doorstep of every citizen, Benneh initiated the convening of a National Forum on Harnessing Research, Science and Technology for Sustainable National Development in 2004, the planning committee of which he is still chair.[1][2][3]

He has set up a project on ICT for the youth at his hometown in Berekum.[1][2][3] Together with his siblings, he donated land at the Benneh Estate for the ICT project saying “education is so important for one’s livelihood” in order to equip the youth with employable skills as a way to solve youth unemployment in the area.[1][2][3]

Personal life

He is married with six children, three sons and three daughters, and has 16 grandchildren.[1][2][3][9]

His younger brother, Emmanuel Yaw Benneh, who was also Professor at the University of Ghana, but with the law faculty, was found murdered at his home in East Legon, Accra.[12]

References
  1. Ghana, Kobby Asmah / Daily Graphic /. "Prof. Emeritus George Benneh turns 80". Graphic Online. Archived from the original on 27 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  2. Hoffmann, Ilire Hasani, Robert. "Academy of Europe: CV". www.ae-info.org. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  3. "Autobiography of Professor George Benneh launched". Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  4. ""Technology should seek Tradition" - Emeritus Prof. Benneh latest book | Regional News 2012-03-31". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  5. Essah, K. Dickson; George Benneh; R. (1988). A New Geography of Ghana. Harlow: Longman. ISBN 9780582585324.
  6. Dickson, Kwamina B.; Benneh, George; Essah, R. R. (1988). A New Geography of Ghana. Longman. ISBN 9780582585324.
  7. Dickson, Kwamina Busumafi; Benneh, George (1970). A New Geography of Ghana. Longman. ISBN 9780582602694.
  8. New Geography of Ghana. London: Prentice Hall Press. December 1970. ISBN 9780582602694.
  9. "Legon honours Prof. Benneh". www.ghanaweb.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  10. "University of Ghana honours past Vice Chancellors". www.ghanaweb.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  11. "Former Vice-Chancellor Prof. George Benneh Donates Books To Balme Library | University of Ghana". www.ug.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  12. https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/police-hold-4-over-professor-benneh-s-murder.html
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