Remembering Nana Rex Owusu-Ansah of Ghana Parliament, Wenchi – and a columnist

Nana Owusu-Ansah Kokroko II, a.k.a. Rex Owusu-Ansah, the late Krontihene, and former clerk of Parliament of Ghana

General concern continues to be discussed about the persistent low representation of women in Ghana’s decision-making structures, illustrated by the results of the 2023 District Assembly elections.

Coincidentally, it recalls the views expressed on that subject in 1989 by a columnist of a weekly I edited then, The Monitor. The columnist was Rex Owusu-Ansah, writing under a pen name as he was a public servant, working under the Provisional National Defence Council. That was prior to his appointment as Clerk to Parliament.

Later, he became a traditional ruler of Wenchi, in the then Brong-Ahafo, (now Bono) Region, with the stool name, Nana Owusu-Ansah Kokroko II. Sadly, Nana Owusu-Ansah’s death was announced in August, 2022 and his funeral rites were held in Wenchi from January 19 to 22, 2024. He was 81.

On the local level elections, a Graphic Online, report of January 15, 2024 stated:

“The recent District Level Elections (DLEs) have once again brought to the fore the worrying issue of dwindling participation of voters …and low representation of women in local governance in the country.

“The DLEs, held on December 19, last year, revealed that 95.9 per cent of the 6,243 persons elected as assembly members were males, while females constituted 4.1 per cent.”

In 1989, the article by ‘Rex Cobbinah’ in the ANALYSIS column of the Monitor, had the headline, “ASSEMBLY OF MEN”. It started with: “The male dominance in the District Assemblies at this time of female resurrection in Ghana raises an eyebrow in many quarters ….”

His concluding paragraphs were: “The female power in the Assemblies is naturally diminished by the fact that the few women who gained entry into the them have had a (raw) deal in the power distribution. Out of the 476 Assembly women in the country’s assemblies, only two have been elected as Presiding Members.

“Very few executive committees are headed by the very few female District Secretaries in the country. Almost all the sub-committees of the Assemblies are chaired by males.

“If the District Assemblies are to be constituted by both men and women in more appreciable proportions, then the decision must be taken now.

“The new type of public education with a female bias or mentality should be embarked upon. The matter is more pressing when one has to think that most of the issues discussed and decided upon in the assemblies would be better handled by women – such as sanitation; delinquency; bush fires; child labour and outmoded customs” (emphasis added).

How insightful, in view of the unceasing challenge of low participation of women, even now, some three decades later!

Rex Owusu-Ansah was educated at Prempeh College, Kumasi, the University of Ghana, where he studied political science, and at Delhi University, New Delhi, India, where he read law.

He served numerous institutions at home and abroad with distinction, including: The Consultative Assembly that drafted the Fourth Republican Constitution, 1992; Head of Operations, National Commission for Democracy (now the Electoral Commission of Ghana); Head of the Local Government Service of Ghana; Interim Clerk to the Pan African Parliament, South Africa and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ghana News Agency. He was also the Managing Consultant of his Centre for Legislative Affairs.

In 1994, he was enstooled Krontihene of the Wenchi Traditional Area. Interestingly, his stool name, ‘Kokroko’, in Akan can be translated as ‘mighty’, or ‘huge’.

On November 16, last year, a delegation of his family called on Speaker of Parliament Mr Alban Bagbin to inform him of Nana’s death. The Ghana News Agency quoted the Speaker as advising Nana’s children: “What he has left is more than a treasure and I hope you can tap into that.” The delegation was led Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame.

In a tribute by Nana (Prof) K.A. Busia Jr, published by Modern Ghana on January 17, 2024, under the headline, ‘Nana Owusu Ansah Kokroko II: an unsung hero of the Wenchi Traditional Area’, he stated:

“Nana …(showcased) his expertise on the international stage …” Yet, Prof Busia noted, “despite being hailed as a top-notch professional in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Ghana and many other countries and international forums, Nana remained un-honoured in Wenchi – a common fate that usually befalls great figures in their own homes.”

The tribute referred to a protracted chieftaincy dispute in Wenchi in which Nana had been involved: “Controversy surrounded him, fuelled by a few individuals…Their discontent stemmed mainly from Nana Kokroko’s principled stance on matters of fairness, equity, unity and peace in Wenchi ….

“Nana being human acknowledged some errors, yet history and common sense favour his side. Soon, he will be vindicated and recognised as a hero.”

(Assistant Professor Busia is a Research Fellow and Guest Lecturer in Public International Law, at the School of Advanced Studies, University of London.)

For my part, I got to know Rex decades ago, during meetings of the Brong-Ahafo Students Union (BASU) in Sunyani, at which he stood out for his strong views and being very vocal and assertive. I also remember how jovial he was, with a sense of humour backed by a ready smile.

He used to regale us with his admiration for Indian films and, especially, the women. I remember particularly, his vow to marry an Indian in future no matter what, and we used to tease him about it.

But it had not been a joke, I realised, when years afterwards our paths crossed again and I was introduced to his wife, Gita, an Indian! Sadly, Gita, who used to work at the British High Commission in Accra, predeceased him.

Having reached the statutory retiring age of 60, Nana ended his nearly 30 years tenure with the Ghana Parliamentary Service in 2001.

In the classic compilation, Ahafo and the Bono Regions of Ghana: Accomplishments & honours of ‘Brilliant Achievers’ by Anane Agyei, part of the book’s entry on Nana Owusu-Ansah reads:

“The public servant and traditional ruler retired as the Clerk to Parliament after 21 years of service. However, his expertise in parliamentary service and practices is widely sought after beyond the shores of Ghana.”

When in 1989, my colleague ace sports writer Ken Bediako suggested the idea of us starting a weekly newspaper, and we needed a well-informed person to write a political column, Rex Owusu-Ansah was top of our list of names. We named the paper, The Monitor.

Our pacesetting newspaper was the first independent paper in Ghana to publish eight pages, a broadsheet, as opposed to the then norm of four-page tabloids. Besides, in a bid to avoid political trouble, most of the private papers concentrated on sports or lotto forecasting. The Monitor was a weekend paper with news, sports and general features, including fiction, to encourage aspiring creative writers.

Fortunately, Mr Owusu-Ansah believed in the Monitor concept and graciously consented to write for us, gratis. His only condition was that he would have to write under a pen name, and of course we agreed. That is how when our first issue hit the newsstands on September 1, 1989, there was a column under the simple heading ‘ANALYSIS’ by a ‘Rex Cobbinah’.

And I believe it was partly due to his column that discerning readers of our paper concluded, as was overheard at a newsstand from a customer who had bought one and was reading it, “this is a true newspaper.”

Unfortunately, the Monitor lasted only a short period, due to funding and political obstacles.

Nana Owusu-Ansah Kokroko II was better known as a long-serving Clerk to Ghana’s Parliament, also as a progressive traditional ruler and more, as demonstrated by Prof Busia tribute. Additionally, I am privileged to be able to reveal also other attributes of Nana, notably as an insightful newspaper columnist.

Indeed, a mighty tree has fallen.
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