COVID-19 kills Sir John

The novel coronavirus disease has strike on the former General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly referred to as Sir John.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission was confirmed died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra Wednesday after contracting the virus.

Sources at the Forestry Commission told Citi News that he died at the Intensive Care Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Wednesday, July 1, 2020.

Tributes

Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in a facebook post hours after the news said he had spoken to Sir John a day earlier and was surprised to learn of his passing on Wednesday.

He described the man as a good man who will be missed.

”I have learnt with sadness the passing of Lawyer Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie aka Sir John, former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party and Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission. I spoke with Sir John only yesterday but little did I know that was our last conversation. Sir John was a good man who truly paid his dues to the Party and Ghana. I will miss him. My heartfelt condolences to his family. Rest in peace, my good friend.” he wrote.

About Sir John

Kojo Afriyie was born in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

He attended Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School in Bekwai from where he obtained his GCE Ordinary level certificate.

He then proceeded to obtain his GCE Advanced level certificate from Konongo Odumase Secondary School in Konongo.

He was admitted to study political science at the University of Ghana.

He then enrolled at the Ghana School of Law where he graduated with Bachelor of Laws.

After this he was admitted as a solicitor and counsel for the Supreme Court of Ghana.

Afriyie entered into private law practice in 1981. During the John Agyekum Kufour administration, he was appointed head of legal services at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.

He was later made to act as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the corporation.

While managing his firm, Afriyie was also actively engaged in Ghanaian politics.

He served as the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party from 2010 to 2014.

He lost his bid to secure a second term to Kwabena Agyapong.