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Ken Attafuah

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Ken Attafuah
Executive Secretary of National Identification Authority
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2017
PresidentNana Akuffo-Addo
Personal details
Born
Kenneth Agyeman Attafuah

Ghana
NationalityGhanaian Canadian
Political partyNew Patriotic Party
SpouseJoyce Attafuah
Children4
ResidenceAccra
Alma materSt. Peter's Boys Secondary School, University of Ghana, University of Manitoba, Simon Fraser University
OccupationLecturer
ProfessionLawyer and Criminologist/ Government Consultant

Kenneth Agyeman Attafuah is a licensed Ghanaian criminologist, mediator, management consultant, and human rights advocate.[1] He is a member of the New Patriotic Party of Ghana. Since January 2017 he serves as the Head of the National Identification Authority.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Attafuah was born in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, the youngest of seven children.[3] Though his parents were illiterate farmers, they valued education and ensured all their children attended school regularly. He started his primary education at Juaso Local Authority Primary School in Juaso.[4] He has often described his early education as an unhappy one. He was not a brilliant child and the constant comparison with his twin brother did not help. He considered schooling as an institution for bullying and tyranny. He attributes his change of view to one of his primary school teachers who encouraged him to read Bible stories and use them to develop his intellect. He soon became the best student in his class.[5]

Attafuah sat for his Common Entrance Examination in form two and gained admission into Prempeh College. However, he could not afford the admission fees and so lost his place in the school.[5] He later enrolled at Jachie-Pramso Secondary School near Lake Bosumtwi. The school's campus was spread over the twin towns of Jachie and Pramso, this meant that his daily commute on foot from the boarding house to classroom was about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi). The school's boarding house was a converted cocoa shed. Since the shed was old and lacking renovation, its roof leaked whenever it rained.[5] At secondary school, Attafuah became the president of the debating society, which allowed him to debate with students from all over Ghana on various secondary school campuses. After writing his GCE Ordinary Level examination, he gained admission to St. Peter's Boys Senior High School.[5]

After completing his GCE Advanced Level he gained admission into the University of Ghana to pursue courses in sociology, political science, and philosophy. He graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[5]

Working life

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Attafuah did his National Service at the University of Ghana as a teaching assistant until 1983. He was appointed as a tutor at the Abuakwa State College in Kibi in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Whilst at Abuakwa, he applied for and gained a scholarship from the Volta Aluminum Company Trust Fund to pursue a master's degree from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. Upon completion of the programme, he enrolled at the Simon Fraser University for a Doctor of Philosophy in criminology.[5]

He returned to Ghana and was called to the Ghana Bar as a Barrister-at-Law and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana. As a legal practitioner he has held many positions in Ghana and around the world. He was appointed the Executive Secretary of Ghana's National Reconciliation Commission from 2002 to 2004.[5] In 2008 he published the book Fighting Armed Robbery in Ghana. He has actively advocated for the well-being of prisoners in Ghana and promoted activities that will reduce crime in the country.[6][7] He received an award from the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana in recognition of his advocacy on issues that promote accountability and transparency from public officials.[8][9]

Head of National Identification Authority

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In January 2017, President Nana Akufo-Addo appointed Attafuah as acting head of the National Identification Authority.[10] At the time of his appointment, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Law at Central University in Ghana.[11][12] Whilst at Central University, he was voted the head of Convocation.[13]

As head of the identification authority, Attafuah oversees the nationwide rollout of the Ghana card - a modern identification system and a smart identity card for Ghanaians.[14]

Positions held and Awards

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Attafuah has held several positions during the course of his working life.[12] They include:

  • Adjudicator with the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board[10][15]
  • Commissioner for Human Rights in British Columbia, Canada[10][15]
  • Management Consultant to the United Nations Mission in Liberia[10][15]
  • UN's International Technical Advisor to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia[10]
  • Associate Professor of Governance and Leadership at the Ghana Institute of Professional Studies, GIMPA[10]
  • Director of Anti-Corruption, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice[10]
  • Chief Investigator and Director of Operation at CHRAJ[10]
  • Crime Prevention Policy Advisor/Analyst, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, West Vancouver Detachment, Canada[10]
  • Managing Solicitor of Ken Attafuah Law Place[10]


Awards

In the 2022 Entrepreneur and Corporate Executive awards, he won the Outstanding Public Service CEO in the Digital Information and Technology category.[16][17]

Personal life

[edit]

Attafuah and his wife Joyce have four children.[18][19]

References

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  1. ^ a b Entsie, Berlinda (2019-11-11). "Ghana's President extends the contract of the National Identification Authority boss, Prof Attafuah despites hitting his retirement age, here's why". Pulse Ghana. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  2. ^ "Prof. Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah » National Identification Authority". Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  3. ^ peacefmonline. "Meet Prof Ken Attafuah – NIA Boss".
  4. ^ Ghanaweb. "Kenneth Agyeman Attafuah biography".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Reading Changed My Life - Prof Ken A. Attafuah". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  6. ^ "Prison system is one of the tragedies of our time - Ken Attafuah".
  7. ^ "Create opportunities for people to reduce crime – Attafuah". Kasapa102.5FM. 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  8. ^ "Prof. Ken Attafuah, Vice Chair of ActionAid Ghana, receives the CIMG ..........award". www.actionaid.org. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  9. ^ "Attafuah Pushes For PPP Laws". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Prof Ken Attafuah appointed NIA Boss". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  11. ^ "Akufo-Addo appoints Ken Attafuah as NIA Executive Secretary". 2017-01-29. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  12. ^ a b "Ken Attafuah appointed as Ag. NIA boss". citifmonline.com. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  13. ^ "Professor Ken Attafuah Chairs CUC Convocation".
  14. ^ "NIA Reveals National Identification Cards". www.businessghana.com. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  15. ^ a b c Frimpong, Enoch Darfah. "Ken Attafuah appointed acting Executive Secretary of NIA - Graphic Online". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  16. ^ "Ken Attafuah wins 2022 outstanding public service CEO award". Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana. 2023-06-23. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  17. ^ Asare, Wilberforce (2023-06-24). "NIA's Ken Attafuah adjudged outstanding public service CEO of the Year 2022, DIT category". Asaase Radio. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  18. ^ "Profile: Samira Bawumia biography and all you need to know about the Second Lady of ghana". Ghana News Feed. 2017-01-26. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  19. ^ "About Prof Attafuah – Attafuah.com". attafuah.com. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
Political offices
Preceded by
 Head of NIA
2017 - 		Incumbent
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