Emeritus Professor George Benneh, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana has died.
He died Thursday, February 11, 2021, at his residence in East Legon, Accra.
He died at the age of 87.
Prof. George Benneh served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon from 1992 to 1996.
Between 1979 and 1980, Benneh was also the Commissioner and Minister of Lands, Natural Resources, Fuel, and Power.
He also served as the Finance minister from 1980 to 1981 under Hilla Limann during the Third Republic.
Benneh studied at Achimota School during his secondary years from 1950 and 1956 where he obtained the GCE Ordinary Level (1954) and GCE Advanced Level (1956) certificates.
He was appointed the Commissioner for Lands, Natural Resources, Fuel, and Power from 1979 to 1980.
Concurrently, he was the Minister of Lands, Natural Resources, Fuel, and Power.
Between 1980 and 1981, he served as the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.
After the June 1979 and December 1981 coups d’état, both led by the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, he was thrown into jail without trial by the military junta on allegations of corruption.
He spent a total of ten weeks in prison before being set free.
George Benneh has consulted for many international organisations including the World Bank, United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNESCO, United Nations University in Tokyo, UNFPA, Catholic University Louvain in Belgium, Moscow State University, Russia, and the Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
Benneh was the Team Leader of UNFPA Population Review and Strategy Development Mission to the Republic of Tanzania in 1991, member of the United Nations University Feasibility Team for the establishment of Research and Training Centre at Lucerne, Switzerland in 1998, and member of the United Nations University International Feasibility Study Group for Research and Training Centre on Nature and Human Security in Bonn, Germany in 2000.
