Akufo-Addo Meets 1962 Classmates In London

President Akufo has gone back to his to his alma mater, Lancing College in England where his class of 1962 describe him as brilliant, unpretentious and blessed with sporting skills.

The 13-years old Akufo-Addo entered the Lancing college in England in the 1960s as William Akufo Addo, the only African student in a white-dominated boarding school.

Lancing college, an almost two hours drive from central London was home to President Akufo Addo in his secondary school days.

Photo: Lancing College
Established in 1848 as a boys school, Lancing college prides itself as a creative and dynamic place where students are groomed to be global citizens capable of meeting all challenges.

Clearly, in the league of the well to do in the society, a term’s fees will set you back almost 12,000 Pounds. Coming from a family that wielded political influence, the fee did not stop Akufo-Addo from accessing the London school.

His father was Ghana's third Chief Justice from 1966 to 1970 and later the non-executive President of Ghana from 1970 till 1972.

And Akufo-Addo would learn his own leadership lessons at Lancing college where his colleagues acknowledged his superior academic and extra-curricular abilities.

Described as hardworking in class, skilful on the field and jovial in the dormitory, two of his classmates, Richard and Nagel told Joy News’ Presidential correspondent, Elton Brobbey, the President was everything one could wish for in a friend.

“We knew him as Billy...he was clever. He was talented at sports. He wasn’t pretentious”

“One thing I remember ...we were talking about people sunbathing...and he said to me, down there in the beach, there are people there hoping to look like me”

Photos: Classmates of President Nana Akufo-Addo
Last Sunday, the now 74-years old President spent time with his old colleagues whom he had not met after finishing his A-level examination 57 years ago.

Rewarding his contribution to humanity, President Akufo Addo was invited to the school to among others connect with his old colleagues and interact with the present students.

For him, a school tradition of breaking the ice during winter made him miss Ghana.

“As you saw the runners coming over the hills, you were supposed to jump in and break the ice. I must say it was on those occasions that I really thought very much of my parents for sending me here”, he said to ripples of laughter.

After completing his O’ Levels and A’Levels at Lancing, Akufo-Addo would later return to Ghana in 1962 to teach at Accra Academy, before going to read Economics at the University of Ghana in Accra in 1964, earning a BSc(Econ) degree in 1967.

He subsequently joined Inner Temple and trained as a lawyer under the apprenticeship system known as the Inns of court, where no formal law degree was required. He was called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in July 1971.

He was called to the Ghanaian bar in July 1975. Akufo-Addo worked with the Paris office of the U.S. law firm Coudert Brothers. In 1979, he co-founded the law firm Prempeh and Co.

Photo: Lancing College