Lawrence_Rosario_Abavana

Lawrence Rosario Abavana

Lawrence Rosario Abavana

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Lawrence Rosario Abavana (1920 – 29 May 2004) was a Ghanaian politician[1] and teacher by profession. He served in various ministerial portfolios in the first republic and also served as a member of the council of state in the third republic.[2] He was a member of the Convention People's Party (CPP).[3]

Quick Facts Member of the Ghana Parliament for Navrongo, Preceded by ...

Early life and education

Abavana was born in 1920 at Navrongo. He had his early education at the Roman Catholic School in Navrongo. He continued at Achimota College where he was trained as a teacher.[4][5][6]

Politics

Member of parliament

He was elected as a member of the legislative assembly in 1951 representing Kassena-Nankana South under the ticket of the Convention People's Party (CPP) that same year, he was appointed ministerial secretary to the minister of communication and works. In 1954, he defeated J. E. Seyire of the Northern People's Party by 5,795 to 3,344 to retain his seat as a member of the legislative assembly.[7][1]

Ministerial secretary

In 1951, along with winning the Kassena-Nankana South seat under the ticket of the CPP, was appointed as ministerial secretary to the minister of communication and works. He became ministerial secretary to the minister of agriculture that same year of 1951.[8]

Minister of State

In 1956, he was appointed minister without portfolio.[9][6] A year later, he was given a portfolio – agriculture.[10] As Minister for Agriculture, he led the Ghana delegation to a cocoa conference in September 1957. On 4 November 1957, he was appointed regional commissioner for Northern Ghana (this included the Northern Region the Upper East Region and the Upper West Region),[11] and, in July 1960, he was appointed Minister for Health.[12]

In May 1961, he was appointed Minister for Trade;[13] as the Minister for Trade he led the Ghana delegation to Dahomey in August 1961. He was appointed Minister of Agriculture for the second time in October that same year,[14] and in September 1962, he was appointed Minister for Information and Broadcasting.[15][5] As information minister, he led the Ghana delegation to the Conference of Information Ministers from Commonwealth African Countries, London in July 1963. He served as Minister for Health for a second occasion from October 1963 to January 1964.[16] As Minister for Health, he led the Ghana delegation to the Health, Sanitation, and Nutrition Conference held in Alexandria, United Arab Republic (UAR) in January 1964. He led another delegation in March 1964 to the World Health Assembly, Geneva.

In May 1964, he was appointed Minister for Interior,[17] and in February 1965, Minister for Mines and Mineral Resources.[18] On 11 June 1965, he was reappointed as Minister for Interior.[19][4] He served in that capacity until the Nkrumah government was overthrown in 1966.

Member of council of State

He was appointed a member of Council of state in the third republic by Hilla Limann which lasted from 1979 to 1981, until Hilla Limann was deposed in a coup by Jerry John Rawlings on 31 December 1981.[20][2]

Personal life

Abavana was a Roman Catholic and he served as the president of the Retired Catholic Workers Association from 1992 until his death.[2]

Death

Abavana died at the age of 84 on 29 May 2004. He was given a state burial in his hometown in Navrongo, Upper East Region on 3 July 2004.[2]

Memorials and legacy

Streets, roads, crescents and junctions have been named in honour of him, most popular amongst them are ones within the Accra Metropolitan specifically in Kotobabi and Maamobi.[21][22][23][24] There are schools within Accra and Northern which have structures named in honour of him, most notable amongst them is the Abavana Cluster of Schools, a basic school in Kotobabi within the Accra Metropolitan area.[25][26][27]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Assembly, Gold Coast Legislative (1956). "Debates".
  2. [2]
    Ghanaweb,"State burial for Abavana on July 3 at Navrongo", Ghanaweb.com, 23 June 2004.
  3. [3]
    Packham, Eric S. (2001). "Africa in War and Peace". Nova Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56072-939-6.
  4. [4]
    "Ghana Year Book". Daily Graphic. 1966. p. 192.
  5. [5]
    The New Ghana, Volume 7. Ghana Information Services Department. 1962. p. 93.
  6. [6]
    "Ghana Year Book". Daily Graphic. 1956. p. 118.
  7. [7]
    Michael Eli Dokosi,"The electoral victories and shock losses of the 1954 Gold Coast election", blakkpepper.com, 10 June 2018.
  8. [8]
    Debates. Gold Coast. Legislative Assembly. 1956. p. 119.
  9. [9]
    Rathbone, Richard (2000). "Nkrumah & the Chiefs: The Politics of Chieftaincy in Ghana, 1951-60". Ohio State University Press. p. xv. ISBN 9780821413067.
  10. [10]
    Ghana Today, Volumes 1-2. Information Section, Ghana Office. 1957. p. 98.
  11. [11]
    Packham, E. S (2004). "Africa in War and Peace". Nova Publishers. p. 181. ISBN 9781560729396.
  12. [12]
    "WORKING HONEYMOON IN AFRICA". Ebony. USA: Johnson Publishing Company. March 1961. p. 47. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  13. [13]
    Commonwealth Survey, Volume 7. H.M.S.O. 1961. p. 1007.
  14. [14]
    The Ghana Farmer, Volume 6, Issue 1. Department of Agriculture. 1962. p. 42.
  15. [15]
    Africa Diary, Volume 3. Africa Publications (India). 1963. p. 994.
  16. [16]
    Agency, United States Central Intelligence (1963). "Daily Report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts".
  17. [17]
    Executive Instruments. Ghana Publishing Company. 1964. p. 106.
  18. [18]
    West Africa. West Africa Publishing Company, Limited. 1965. p. 127.
  19. [19]
    Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Parts 1-2. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Ltd. 1967. p. 762.
  20. [20]
    West Africa, Issues 3336-3360. West Africa Publishing Company Limited. 1981. p. 1902.
  21. [21]
    "Abavana Street, Accra Metropolitan". cartogiraffe.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  22. [22]
    "Abavana - ghana-streets.openalfa.com/streets". ghana-streets.openalfa.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  23. [23]
    "UDS Navrongo Campus Should Be Renamed After Lawrence Rosario Abavana And Not C.K. Tedam". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  24. [24]
    "Abavana Maamobi - Google Search". google.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  25. [25]
    "Ayawaso Central bags GH₵881,316 revenue in 9 months". Ghanaian Times. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  26. [26]
    Dogbevi, Emmanuel (30 January 2012). "USAID grants Ghana $2.3m for construction of basic school complexes in Accra". Ghana Business News. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  27. [27]
    "Abavana Schools Get Waste Bins". DailyGuide Network. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
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