Only Surviving Member Of Nkrumah’s Cabinet, F. A. Jantuah Dead

The only surviving member of Kwame Nkrumah’s cabinet, Franklin Adubobi Jantuah, has died aged 91. The lawyer who also served in Rawlings’ Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) passed on Monday evening, according to his family. 

The former Agriculture Minister in Nkrumah’s government also served the country as Minister for Local Government in the PNDC regime.

Mr Jantuah was born in the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi in 1929.

He had his early education at English Church Mission School in Kumasi and Asante College also in Kumasi from 1943 to 1944.

The former politician continued at the Adisadel College, Cape Coast from 1945 to 1947.

He proceeded to Korle-Bu Dispensing School in 1947 where he obtained a certificate in Pharmacy in 1948.

In 1954 he left for England to study at the London Tutorial College and the University of London from 1956 to 1959.

Mr Jantuah studied law at the Inns of Court School of Law and was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in London after which he began legal practice in 1960.

He entered parliament in 1965 representing the Ejisu constituency during the first republic.

On June 13 that same year, he was appointed Minister for Agriculture; a position he served in until February 1966 when the Nkrumah government was overthrown.

During the Acheampong regime, he became a leading member of the People’s Movement for Freedom and Justice (PMFJ), a political group that opposed the union government (Unigov) idea that was proposed by Ignatius Kutu Acheampong and his government.

In 1974, he became a member of the Kumasi City Council and in 1983 became the chairman of the council.

Mr Jantuah consequently became the Ashanti Regional secretary (Ashanti Regional minister) in the PNDC regime and in 1984 he was appointed Secretary for Local Government (Minister for Local Government).

He served in this capacity until 1986 when he was relieved of his duties on health grounds.

The astute politician was the brother of Kwame Sanaa-Poku Jantuah, who was also a Ghanaian politician, and the father of the late Kojo Svedstrup Jantuah, a Ghanaian activist and author.