News reports indicate that the former Minister for Youth and Sports, and former Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, E.T. Mensah has died in South Africa after a short illness.
Mensah was born on 17th May 1946 and comes from Prampram in the Greater Accra Region Ghana. He schooled at the SNAPS College of Accountancy, which he completed in 1968. He also had his RSA III in 1970, and he became a fellow of the Institute of Financial Accountants in 1986. He is an Account Officer and worked at the University of Ghana, Legon as an Accounting Officer.
He had been active in Ghana’s politics since the Provisional National Defence Council.
During the time of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) military regime in Ghana, he was the long-time Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), akin to being the Mayor of the City of Accra. He joined the National Democratic Congress when it was formed in 1992.
At the beginning of the Fourth Republic, he was appointed Minister for Youth and Sports by President Jerry Rawlings. Mensah held that position through both terms of the Rawlings government. In January 2010, after a cabinet reshuffle, President John Atta Mills appointed him Minister for Employment and Social Welfare.
He also stood for the Ghanaian parliamentary election in 1996 and was elected MP for the Ningo-Prampram constituency, holding the seat for almost a decade. After the NDC lost the 2000 elections, he continued as a member of parliament. Mensah lost the NDC primaries to Sam George on 21 November 2015. He once served as the Minority Chief Whip in parliament prior to the parliamentary election in 2008. In January 2009, he became the Majority Chief Whip in parliament.
After the NDC lost the 2000 elections, he continued as a member of parliament. Mensah lost the NDC primaries to Sam George on 21 November 2015. He also once served as the Minority Chief Whip in parliament before the Ghanaian parliamentary election in 2008. In January 2009, he became the Majority Chief Whip in Parliament.
Mensah was a member of the Pan-African Parliament until January 2009, when he resigned after being appointed a member of state. In January 2011, he was appointed Minister for Education following the resignation of Betty Mould-Iddrisu.
On 12 February 2021, Mensah was unanimously elected as the representative of Council of State for the Greater Accra Region.
Mr. E. T. Mensah was married with seven children.
This comes on the back of the demise of former First Lady Theresa Kufuor on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
Tributes On His Passing
Meanwhile, his predecessor, Sam Nartey George has paid tribute to the late former Memebr of Parliament and extended his condolences to the bereaved family on behalf of the NDC in the Ningo-Prampram..
“The late former Member of Parliament for our beloved Constituency who, until his demise, was a Member of the current Council of State served our nation in several capacities for over four decades. We pray for the peaceful repose of his soul and strength for his family left behind”.
Sam Nartey George, MP
E.T Mensah, as he was affectionately called, had served the people of Ningo-Prampram for two decades as their Member of Parliament until the current Member of Parliament, Sam Nartey George, replaced him in 2017.
The Member of Parliament for Zebilla, Cletus Apul Avoka has also eulogised his former colleague, E.T Mensah.
“Condolences to the family and all those who are admirers of ET Mensah”
Reminiscing the time they spent together in Parliament,
“He [ET Mensah] joined us in the second Parliament and the time I got to know him more was in 2009 when he was Chief Whip, and I was Interior Minister. During that time, I called him every morning to find out what was happening in Parliament and when I needed to be in Parliament. I later went to the House as Majority Leader and ET became Minister for Labour Relations, and we became very close when we were brought together to help Mahama on special initiatives as members of the presidential special drive that eventually became the Three Wise Men.
“He is bold, confident, and results-oriented, and he was very close to Rawlings and one could only be too close to Rawlings when he was good and if there was any difficult job, and you gave it to ET, he would do it well.”
Cletus Apul Avoka
According to Cletus Apul Avoka, Mr. E.T Mensah served the country for a significant portion of his adult life and did so without blemish. He believes it will be quite tough to find a substitute for him because he was also abrasive if you got in the way of success.
