Harry Sawyerr

Harry Sawyerr
The Honourable; Harry Sawyerr; CV
	Harry Sawyerr
Member of the Ghana Parliament; for Osu-Klottey
	In office; 1969–1981
Minister for Education
	In office; 1993–1997
President	Jerry Rawlings
Preceded by	Mary Grant
Succeeded by	Esi Sutherland-Addy
Minister for Transport and Communications
	In office; 1979–1981
President	Hilla Limann
Personal details
Born	Henry Romulus Sawyerr; 25 April 1926; Abokobi, Accra, Ghana
Died	8 November 2013 (aged 87); Accra, Ghana
Nationality	Ghanaian
Political party	United National Convention
Profession	Quantity surveyor

Henry Romulus Sawyerr, CV (25 April 1926 – 8 November 2013) was a Ghanaian politician and quantity surveyor. He was Minister for Transport and Communications during the third republic and Minister for Education at the beginning of the Fourth Republic of Ghana and the Member of Parliament for Osu-Klottey Constituency during the Second and Third republics.

Sawyerr was the first person to be president of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors. He served two terms spanning 1969 to 1971.[1]

Early Life and education

Harry Sawyerr was born on 25 April 1926 in Abokobi, Accra, in the Ga East District to Kwao Sawyerr and Fredericka Naa Awula Akua Lokko.[2]

He had his early education at the Presbyterian Primary School at Abokobi from 1932 to 1938, continuing in 1938 to the Salem School at Osu. He studied at the Accra Academy for his secondary education between 1942 and 1946. He entered Achimota College in 1947, but his degree studies ended on the sudden death of his father that year, due to lack of funds, and he became a Learner Valuer at the Lands Department from 1951 to 1953.[2] He subsequently studied estate management in England at the University College of Estate Management (1953–55),[2] becoming a certified associate of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, in England.[3]

Career

He worked as a District Valuer at the Lands Department in Accra (1955–58), then left public service to establish his private consultancy from 1958 to 1962. From 1962 to 1963 he was City Valuer at Kumasi City Council and worked as Chief Federal Lands Officer in the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1963 to 1967, the first black Chief Federal Lands Officer in Nigeria.[2] He was organiser and later the National Co-ordinator of the Association of Recognised Professional Bodies 1971–1979.[4]

Politics

His political career began as a member of the Ghana Congress Party led by Kofi Abrefa Busia.[5]

He was made a member of the 1969 Constituent Assembly that drew up the 1969 Constitution for the second Republic of Ghana. He contested in the 1969 parliamentary election in Osu-Klottey constituency as a non-party candidate and won.[6] He was the only non party candidate to win a seat in the Parliament of the second republic.

At the onset of the third republic, he was a founding member of the United National Convention(UNC) whose flagbearer was William Ofori-Atta. He entered Parliament as an MP for the Osu Klottey Constituency on the ticket of the UNC.[7]

The UNC put up a poor performance at the general election and became third. The other two front runner parties,the Popular Front Party(PFP) and the People's National Party(PNP), both failed to secure the required majority to form a government and a second round of election was announced to take place. The UNC then formed an alliance with the PNP, enabling the PNP's Hilla Limann to gain the required majority to be declared winner of the general elections. For this, Sawyerr served as Minister for Transport and Communications from 1979 to 1981 in the Limann government.

Sawyerr joined the National Democratic Congress under the leadership of Jerry Rawlings in 1992 and served as the Chairman of its National Campaign Committee in 1992. He served as Minister for Education in the Rawlings government from 1993 to 1997.[8] He was appointed a member of the Council of State in 1998 and served till 2000.[9] He was Vice Chairman of the council of elders of the National Democratic Congress[9]

Sports

Sawyerr served as a longstanding Vice-Chairman of the Council of Patrons of Accra Hearts of Oak S.C. and later became the President of Council of Patrons of the football club.[10][11]

Personal life

Harry Sawyerr was a Freemason, belonging to the District Grand Lodge of Ghana under the United Grand Lodge of England.[12]

Death and funeral

He died on 8 November 2013 in Accra,[13] aged 87.[14] His funeral attracted several government officials and dignitaries.[15] He was buried at the Basel Mission Cemetery in Osu.[15]

Awards and recognition

Harry Sawyer was decorated with the Companion of the Order of the Volta, the highest award in Ghana, by the then President John Evans Atta Mills[16]

Sawyerr was the first Executive Chairman of the University of Ghana Medical School. There are prizes at the University of Ghana Medical School in his name.[9][17]

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References

"Ghana Institute of Surveyors - Past Presidents". Ghana Institute of Surveyors. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
"Commemorative Tribute to Henry Romulus Sawyerr (a.k.a Harry Sawyerr)" Archived 2016-09-16 at the Wayback Machine, The Hansard, Official Report for 18 December 2013, Parliament of Ghana.
"Odarkor". odarkor.org. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
"Parliament pays tribute to Sawyerr". graphic.com.gh. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2014..
Vieta, K. T. (1999). The Flagbearers of Ghana: Profiles of One Hundred Distinguished Ghanaians, Volume 1. Ena Publications. ISBN 9789988001384.
"12 to contest election as non-party candidates". The Daily Graphic. Graphic Communications Group. 30 July 1969.
"UNC is not for Vain Promises". The Daily Graphic. Graphic Communications Group. 30 April 1979.
"Country-led Aid Coordination in Ghana" (PDF). Association for the Development of Education in Africa. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
"Harry Sawyer is dead". The Daily Graphic. 9 November 2013.
"Hearts Patrons Calm Trouble". modernghana.com. 31 October 2001.
Ghana News Agency (2011). "Hearts Council of Patrons back Africa withdrawal".
A. "Special conference on Freemasonry in Accra, Ghana". Retrieved 27 November 2018.
"Harry Sawyerr is dead". General News. Ghana Home Page. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
Enoch Darfah Frimpong, "Celebrating Grandpa Harry Sawyerr at 87: Has paid his due to Ghana and the NDC", Graphic Online, 25 April 2013.
"Hundreds pay last respect to late Harry Sawyerr". Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
"Harry Sawyer Profile". Ghanaweb. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
"Dr Vera Fosu — Best All-round Student". Tsotsoo's journal. Becky Kwei. 13 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2011.

External links

Commemorative Tributes in the Parliament of Ghana in honour of Henry Romulus Sawyerr, 18 December 2013

Parliament of Ghana
Preceded by New Parliament	MP for Osu-Klottey 1979 – 81	Succeeded by Parliament abolished
Political offices
Preceded by	Minister for Transport and Communications 1979 – 81	Succeeded by
Preceded by Mary Grant	Minister for Education 1993 – 97	Succeeded by Esi Sutherland-Addy

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[1] "Ghana Institute of Surveyors - Past Presidents". Ghana Institute of Surveyors. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.

[Hansard-2] "Commemorative Tribute to Henry Romulus Sawyerr (a.k.a Harry Sawyerr)" Archived 2016-09-16 at the Wayback Machine, The Hansard, Official Report for 18 December 2013, Parliament of Ghana.

[3] "Odarkor". odarkor.org. Retrieved 25 May 2020.

[Sawyerr-4] "Parliament pays tribute to Sawyerr". graphic.com.gh. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2014..

[5] Vieta, K. T. (1999). The Flagbearers of Ghana: Profiles of One Hundred Distinguished Ghanaians, Volume 1. Ena Publications. ISBN 9789988001384.

[:1969-6] "12 to contest election as non-party candidates". The Daily Graphic. Graphic Communications Group. 30 July 1969.

[7] "UNC is not for Vain Promises". The Daily Graphic. Graphic Communications Group. 30 April 1979.

[8] "Country-led Aid Coordination in Ghana" (PDF). Association for the Development of Education in Africa. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2011.

[:daily-9] "Harry Sawyer is dead". The Daily Graphic. 9 November 2013.

[10] "Hearts Patrons Calm Trouble". modernghana.com. 31 October 2001.

[11] Ghana News Agency (2011). "Hearts Council of Patrons back Africa withdrawal".

[12] A. "Special conference on Freemasonry in Accra, Ghana". Retrieved 27 November 2018.

[13] "Harry Sawyerr is dead". General News. Ghana Home Page. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.

[14] Enoch Darfah Frimpong, "Celebrating Grandpa Harry Sawyerr at 87: Has paid his due to Ghana and the NDC", Graphic Online, 25 April 2013.

[ghananewsagency.org-15] "Hundreds pay last respect to late Harry Sawyerr". Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.

[16] "Harry Sawyer Profile". Ghanaweb. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.

[17] "Dr Vera Fosu — Best All-round Student". Tsotsoo's journal. Becky Kwei. 13 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2011.