Ato Austin

Ato Austin was a Ghanaian politician. He was a member of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) military government which ruled after the overthrow of the Limann government in December 1981. He held various portfolios in the government led by Jerry Rawlings.

Ato Austin
Central Regional Secretary
In office
1988–1993
PresidentJerry Rawlings
Secretary for Youth and Sports
In office
1986–1988
PresidentJerry Rawlings
Preceded byAmarkai Amarteifio
Succeeded byK. Saarah Mensah
Secretary for Labour and Social Welfare
In office
1983–1986
PresidentJerry Rawlings
Preceded byAdisa Munkaila
Succeeded byGeorge Adamu
Secretary for Information
In office
1982–1983
PresidentJerry Rawlings
Preceded byJohn S. Nabila
Succeeded byJoyce Aryee
Personal details
Died1998
London
NationalityGhanaian
Political partyPeople's National Party

Politics

Ato Austin was the Secretary-General of the Youth Wing of the People's National Party (PNP) before going into government.[1] After the PNDC was formed, Austin was among several student leaders and activists who were given appointments at various levels in Ghana.[2] Austin was initially appointed the Secretary for Information in January 1982.[3] Kwame Karikari, a former Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation which runs GTV disclosed how he lobbied Austin as Secretary for Information and Rawlings leading to the country seeking a grant from Japan for the switch to colour TV transmission in Ghana from 1985.[4]

Following a reshuffle in 1983, Austin was appointed Secretary for Labour and Social Welfare[5][6] Later in September 1982, he gave assurances that the Public Tribunals created by the PNDC government would not use "unorthodox" measures in their functions.[7]

Austin served as Secretary for Youth and Sports between 1986 and 1988.[8]

He also served as Central Regional secretary under Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.[9][10][11] He is credited to have inspired the creation of walkways for tourism purposes in the region such as the Kakum National Park among others after a visit to Malaysia where he saw canopy walkway.[12][13]

Awards
  • Osabarimba Royal Award (posthumous) for services as former Central Regional Secretary[14]

Death

Austin died in London in December 1998.[15]

See also

References
  1. Asamoah, Obed Y. (2014). "5: From Revolution To Constitutionalism PNDC Era To Fourth Republic". The political history of Ghana (1950-2013) : the experience of a non-conformist. Bloomington, IN. ISBN 978-1496985620.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. Asiedu-Acquah, Emmanuel (May 2015). ""And still the Youth are coming": Youth and popular politics in Ghana, c 1900-1979" (pdf). dash.harvard.edu. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard. p. 218. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  3. "Civilians appointed to fill cabinet posts". Ghana News. Embassy of Ghana. 11 (1): 3. 1979. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  4. "How Ghana switched to colour TV in 1985 with Japanese grant". GhanaWeb. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  5. "PNDC makes 6 cabinet changes". Ghana News. Washington DC: Embassy of Ghana. 12 (6): 6. June 1983. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  6. Konings, P. "The State and the Defence Committees in the Ghanaian Revolution, 1981-1984" (pdf). scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/. Leiden University. p. 279. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  7. "Ghana: Revolutionary Injustice" (PDF). www.hrw.org. Human Rights Watch. 31 January 1992. p. 4. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  8. "LIST OF MINISTERS". www.gov.gh. Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ghana. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  9. Mensah, James (10 April 1991). Clegg, Sam (ed.). "'Co-ordinate Efforts At Health Delivery'". People's Daily Graphic. Accra: Graphic Communications Group (12557).
  10. "Oguaa hosts maiden Osabarimba Royal Awards". GhanaWeb. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  11. "Remembering a daring deed". Graphic Online. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  12. "Here is Kenneth Asare, the man who built all the canopy walkways in Ghana". GHSPLASH.COM. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  13. "This Ghanaian is making it possible for people to walk in the 'sky' with his famed canopy walkways". Face2Face Africa. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  14. "Oguaa Traditional Area honours indigens contributing to develpment [sic]". www.myjoyonline.com. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  15. "Ghana: Transitions in 1998(Independent (Accra))". allafrica.com. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
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