Komla Agbeli Gbedemah

Infobox Politician
name = Komla Agbeli Gbedemah


width =
height =
caption =
small_

office = Minister for Finance
term_start = 1954
term_end = May 1961
predecessor =
successor = Ferdinand Koblavi Dra Goka
constituency =
majority =
office2 = Founder and Leader
National Alliance of Liberals
term_start2 = 1969
term_end2 = 1969
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
constituency2 =
majority2 =
office3 =
term_start3 =
term_end3 =
predecessor3 =
successor3 =
constituency3 =
majority3 =
birth_date = June 17, 1912
birth_place =
death_date = death date and age |1998|9|8|1912|6|17
death_place =
party = Convention People's Party
(1947-1961)
National Alliance of Liberals-1969
nationality = flagicon|GHA| Ghanaian
relations =
residence =
alma_mater =
occupation =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Komla Agbeli Gbedemah (June 17 1912 - ca. September 8 1998) was a Ghanaian politician. He was also the Minister for Finance in the Nkrumah government from 1954 to 1961. He was popularly called "Afro Gbede".cite news |url=http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/cameron_duodu/2006/12/how_james_brown_captured_afric.html |title=Say it loud! |accessdate=2007-04-30 |date=December 27, 2006 |last=Duodu |first=Cameron |work=Guardian Unlimited |publisher=Guardian News and Media]

Political career

Komla Gbedemah was originally with the United Gold Coast Convention. He left with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to form the Convention People's Party (CPP). Gbedemah was an important member of the CPP because of his organizational ability. [cite web |url=http://www.ghana.gov.gh/NRC/VOL.%204%20Chpt.%205%20Professional%20Bodies.%20CIV%20SOC.pdf |title=Professional Bodies (other than legal) and Civil Society groups |accessdate=2007-04-30 |month=October | year=2004 |format=pdf |pages=] He was influential in getting Nkrumah elected to the Legislative Council on February 8, 1951. He organized Nkrumah's entire campaign while he (Nkrumah) was still in prison, detained by the colonial government. Nkrumah duly won the Accra Central Municipal seat. This led to Nkrumah being released and his being invited to form a government. [cite web| url=http://www.ghanacastle.gov.gh/president/castle_newsp_details.cfm?EmpID=681 |title=Profiles:Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (Founder and First Pres. of Ghana) |accessdate=2007-04-14 |work=Official website of the Office of the President of Ghana |publisher=Ghana government] Gbedemah who himself got elected into the Legislative Assembly, became the first Ghanaian minister for Health and Labour in Nkrumah's government. In 1954, he became the Finance minister, a position he held for 7 years. He was influential in getting an initially reluctant US government to back the building of the Akosombo Dam.cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/kennedyjf/50758.htm |title= Foreign Relations, 1961-1963, Africa |accessdate=2007-04-30 |Released archive on Foreign Relations of the United States |publisher=United States Department of State] Later as his relationship with Nkrumah deteroriated, Gbedemah was demoted by him to Health minister in May 1961. It is alleged by US sources that at a point, Gbedemah was considering the overthrow of Nkrumah. He is quoted as saying ``I would be sorry to have to do it but country has had enough of Nkrumah's arrogance, whims and madness." Nkrumah demanded Gbedemah's resignation in September 1961.Gbedemah was forced into exile later the same year, after worsening relations between him and Nkrumah over what he perceived to be Nkrumah's financial indiscipline. [cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901400,00.html?promoid=googlep |title=Friday's Child |accessdate=2007-04-30 |date=12 September 1969 |work=Free Archive |publisher=] [cite web |url=http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/ghana.htm |title=Political and Economic History of Ghana |accessdate=2007-04-30 |author=Thayer Watkins |publisher=San José State University |quote=Komla Gbedemah was founder of the CPP and an able administrator. He objected Nkrumah's lack of financial discipline and soon found himself dismissed from the government by Nkrumah in a radio broadcast at dawn in April of 1961.] He is alleged to have fled as there were plans to place him under preventive detention. While in exile, he is known to have continued to lobby the US over the Akosombo dam project.

Gbedemah formed and led the National Alliance of Liberals into the 1969 general election. His campaign slogan "Say it loud, I am black and proud!" was taken from the popular James Brown tune. After the election, Gbedemah was barred from taking his seat in parliament. This followed a Supreme Court ruling, upholding the NLC barring members of the CPP accused of financial crimes from holding public office for ten years. This decision led him to retire from active involvement in politics. [cite web |url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/history/1966-71.php |title=The National Liberation Council and the Busia Years |accessdate=2007-04-30 |publisher=Ghana Home Page]

Howard Johnson's restaurant incident

In the United States, he is most widely known from an October 10, 1957, incident when U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower apologized to him after he was refused service in a Howard Johnson's restaurant in Dover, Delaware. [cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937922,00.html?iid=chix-sphere |title=From Segregation to Breakfast |accessdate=2007-04-14 |date=21 October 1957 |publisher=Time] He reportedly told the staff "The people here are of a lower social status than I am but they can drink here and we can't. You can keep the orange juice and the change, but this is not the last you have heard of this." [cite web |url=http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/volta.htm |title=The Volta River Project in Ghana, West Africa |accessdate=2007-04-30 |author=Thayer Watkins|publisher=San José State University ]

Positions

"For ministerial positions, see succession box."
*Leader - People's Movement for Freedom and Justice (1991 - ?)
*Founder and Leader - National Alliance of Liberals - (1969)
*Member - Legislative Assembly, Ghana (1951 - ?)
*Manager and Editor - Accra Evening News (1949 - ?)
*Vice Chairman - Convention People's Party (1949 - ?)

Works

*Gbedemah, K. A. It will not be "work and happiness for all"; an open letter being also an appeal to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and comment on and criticism of the proposed new 7 year Ghana development plan. [n.p.] , 1962. [32p] . [cite web |url=http://www.crl.edu/areastudies/CAMP/collections/wilks.htm |title= Ivor Wilks-Phyllis Ferguson Collection of Material on Ghana |accessdate=2007-04-30 |work=Cooperative Africana Microform Project (CAMP) |publisher=Center for Research Libraries]

Notes

Persondata
NAME=Gbedemah, Komla Agbeli
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Politician and former finance minister of Ghana.
DATE OF BIRTH=June 17, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=September 8, 1998
PLACE OF DEATH=