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<p><b>Dear ASU Members, <br>
</b></p>
<p><b>I hereby nominate Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah</b>, alumni of the Center for International Studies, Ohio University, for your consideration for the 2012 edition of the African hero. His profile speaks volumes of his contribution to Ghana, African, and the World.<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><b>Ekwow Spio-Garbrah</b> (born 1953) is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">
Ghanaian</a> businessman, diplomat and politician. He is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CEO" title="CEO" class="mw-redirect">
CEO</a> of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) based in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London" title="London">
London</a>. He is one of Africa's pre-eminent public servants,<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from August 2010">citation
needed</span></a></i>]</sup> and an authority on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_communications" title="Mass communications" class="mw-redirect">
mass communications</a> who has held several high profile positions in the field. He is a former Minister of Communication of the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ghana" title="Republic of Ghana" class="mw-redirect">
Republic of Ghana</a>, one-time <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador" title="Ambassador">
Ambassador</a> of Ghana to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">
United States</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico" title="Mexico">
Mexico</a>, Minister of Education, Minister responsible for Mines and Energy and a member of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO" title="UNESCO">UNESCO</a>’s Executive Board in
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris" title="Paris">Paris</a>. He served in the cabinet during the democratic regime of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_John_Rawlings" title="Jerry John Rawlings" class="mw-redirect">
Jerry John Rawlings</a> between 1994 and 2000. Spio-Garbrah is a member of the board of directors of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Africa_Telekom&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="South Africa Telekom (page does not exist)">
South Africa Telekom</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AngloGold_Ashanti" title="AngloGold Ashanti">
AngloGold Ashanti</a> and recently of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vodacom" title="Vodacom">
Vodacom</a>. He is also member of the International Advisory Board of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Press_Organization" title="African Press Organization">
African Press Organization</a> (APO).</p>
<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Life">Life</span></h2>
<p>Ekow Spio-Garbrah's early business experience included working as a mortgage banker in
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey" title="New Jersey">New Jersey</a>, as a sales executive with
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_Bell" title="Southwestern Bell">
Southwestern Bell</a>, and as chairman of the Middle East Africa Group within the international public relations firm of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_and_Knowlton" title="Hill and Knowlton" class="mw-redirect">
Hill and Knowlton</a> in New York. In that capacity, from 1979 to 1985, he provided investment, export and tourism promotion counsel to the governments of Indonesia, Turkey, the Netherlands and Austria, financial relations advice to the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank,
Credit Agricole of France, UBAF-Arab American Bank, and energy sector intelligence to
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPEC" title="OPEC">OPEC</a>.</p>
<p>From 1988 to 1991, Spio-Garbrah was an External Relations Officer at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Finance_Corporation" title="International Finance Corporation">
International Finance Corporation</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank" title="World Bank">
World Bank</a> affiliate, in Washington. From 1991 to 1994 he was Head of Communication at the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Development_Bank" title="African Development Bank">
African Development Bank</a>, directing the bank’s global corporate and marketing communications and acting as institutional spokesman.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador_to_the_United_States" title="Ambassador to the United States" class="mw-redirect">
Ambassador to the United States</a> from 1994 to 1997, Dr Spio-Garbrah was noted for his success in rebuilding Ghana’s image across the USA, including organising an unprecedented eight-city investment promotion programme for Ghana’s President in the USA. As
a result partly of the successful bilateral programmes he executed,<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from August 2010">citation
needed</span></a></i>]</sup> Ghana became the first country to be visited by U.S. President
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton" title="Bill Clinton">Bill Clinton</a> during his famous five-country Africa visit in 1998 and is now a recipient of the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Challenge_Account" title="Millennium Challenge Account" class="mw-redirect">
Millennium Challenge Account</a>.</p>
<p>As a Minister of Communication of Ghana, from 1997 to 1998, Dr Spio-Garbrah initiated, developed and implemented policies and programmes that supported the increasing convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting, the Internet, publishing, news media and
postal services, all of which were under his supervision. Concurrently, as chairman of the National Communication Authority, he had responsibility for regulating all aspects of the telecom, Internet and broadcasting sectors. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah was also in
charge of the Public Education Committee which successfully re-introduced the VAT to Ghana after a disastrous first attempt in the early 1990s had left scores of protesters people dead. The VAT today mobilizes billions of cedis for socio-economic and infrastructure
development in Ghana.</p>
<p>Whilst Education minister from 1998 to 2002, Spio-Garbrah was credited with the creation of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), which currently mobilizes over $50 million each year domestically for educational sector infrastructure and student assistance
programmes. The GETFund law has been widely praised as one of the most transformative pieces of legislation in Ghana’s history relating to the education sector.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from August 2010">citation
needed</span></a></i>]</sup></p>
<p>In December 2006 Ekwow Spio-Garbrah contested the leadership of Ghana's main opposition party, the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Democratic_Congress_%28Ghana%29" title="National Democratic Congress (Ghana)">
National Democratic Congress</a> (NDC). Managing 8.7% of the vote, he came second to
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Atta_Mills" title="John Atta Mills">John Atta Mills</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekwow_Spio-Garbrah#cite_note-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> who subsequently
won Ghana's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghanaian_presidential_election,_2008" title="Ghanaian presidential election, 2008">
2008 presidential election</a>. Dr Spio-Garbrah remains a leading member of Ghana's now ruling NDC party. On January 15, 2010, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah was elected a vice chairman of the NDC, and subsequently named Director of the Communications directorate of the
party.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>(born 1953) is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana" title="Ghana">Ghanaian</a> businessman, diplomat and politician. He is
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CEO" title="CEO" class="mw-redirect">CEO</a> of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) based in
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London" title="London">London</a>. He is one of Africa's pre-eminent public servants,<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from August 2010">citation
needed</span></a></i>]</sup> and an authority on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_communications" title="Mass communications" class="mw-redirect">
mass communications</a> who has held several high profile positions in the field. He is a former Minister of Communication of the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ghana" title="Republic of Ghana" class="mw-redirect">
Republic of Ghana</a>, one-time <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador" title="Ambassador">
Ambassador</a> of Ghana to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">
United States</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico" title="Mexico">
Mexico</a>, Minister of Education, Minister responsible for Mines and Energy and a member of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO" title="UNESCO">UNESCO</a>’s Executive Board in
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris" title="Paris">Paris</a>. He served in the cabinet during the democratic regime of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_John_Rawlings" title="Jerry John Rawlings" class="mw-redirect">
Jerry John Rawlings</a> between 1994 and 2000. Spio-Garbrah is a member of the board of directors of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Africa_Telekom&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="South Africa Telekom (page does not exist)">
South Africa Telekom</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AngloGold_Ashanti" title="AngloGold Ashanti">
AngloGold Ashanti</a> and recently of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vodacom" title="Vodacom">
Vodacom</a>. He is also member of the International Advisory Board of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Press_Organization" title="African Press Organization">
African Press Organization</a> (APO).</p>
<h2><span class="editsection"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Life">Life</span></h2>
<p>Ekow Spio-Garbrah's early business experience included working as a mortgage banker in
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey" title="New Jersey">New Jersey</a>, as a sales executive with
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_Bell" title="Southwestern Bell">
Southwestern Bell</a>, and as chairman of the Middle East Africa Group within the international public relations firm of
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_and_Knowlton" title="Hill and Knowlton" class="mw-redirect">
Hill and Knowlton</a> in New York. In that capacity, from 1979 to 1985, he provided investment, export and tourism promotion counsel to the governments of Indonesia, Turkey, the Netherlands and Austria, financial relations advice to the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank,
Credit Agricole of France, UBAF-Arab American Bank, and energy sector intelligence to
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPEC" title="OPEC">OPEC</a>.</p>
<p>From 1988 to 1991, Spio-Garbrah was an External Relations Officer at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Finance_Corporation" title="International Finance Corporation">
International Finance Corporation</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank" title="World Bank">
World Bank</a> affiliate, in Washington. From 1991 to 1994 he was Head of Communication at the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Development_Bank" title="African Development Bank">
African Development Bank</a>, directing the bank’s global corporate and marketing communications and acting as institutional spokesman.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador_to_the_United_States" title="Ambassador to the United States" class="mw-redirect">
Ambassador to the United States</a> from 1994 to 1997, Dr Spio-Garbrah was noted for his success in rebuilding Ghana’s image across the USA, including organising an unprecedented eight-city investment promotion programme for Ghana’s President in the USA. As
a result partly of the successful bilateral programmes he executed,<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from August 2010">citation
needed</span></a></i>]</sup> Ghana became the first country to be visited by U.S. President
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton" title="Bill Clinton">Bill Clinton</a> during his famous five-country Africa visit in 1998 and is now a recipient of the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Challenge_Account" title="Millennium Challenge Account" class="mw-redirect">
Millennium Challenge Account</a>.</p>
<p>As a Minister of Communication of Ghana, from 1997 to 1998, Dr Spio-Garbrah initiated, developed and implemented policies and programmes that supported the increasing convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting, the Internet, publishing, news media and
postal services, all of which were under his supervision. Concurrently, as chairman of the National Communication Authority, he had responsibility for regulating all aspects of the telecom, Internet and broadcasting sectors. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah was also in
charge of the Public Education Committee which successfully re-introduced the VAT to Ghana after a disastrous first attempt in the early 1990s had left scores of protesters people dead. The VAT today mobilizes billions of cedis for socio-economic and infrastructure
development in Ghana.</p>
<p>Whilst Education minister from 1998 to 2002, Spio-Garbrah was credited with the creation of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), which currently mobilizes over $50 million each year domestically for educational sector infrastructure and student assistance
programmes. The GETFund law has been widely praised as one of the most transformative pieces of legislation in Ghana’s history relating to the education sector.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from August 2010">citation
needed</span></a></i>]</sup></p>
<p>In December 2006 Ekwow Spio-Garbrah contested the leadership of Ghana's main opposition party, the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Democratic_Congress_%28Ghana%29" title="National Democratic Congress (Ghana)">
National Democratic Congress</a> (NDC). Managing 8.7% of the vote, he came second to
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Atta_Mills" title="John Atta Mills">John Atta Mills</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekwow_Spio-Garbrah#cite_note-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> who subsequently
won Ghana's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghanaian_presidential_election,_2008" title="Ghanaian presidential election, 2008">
2008 presidential election</a>. Dr Spio-Garbrah remains a leading member of Ghana's now ruling NDC party. On January 15, 2010, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah was elected a vice chairman of the NDC, and subsequently named Director of the Communications directorate of the
party.</p>
<div><br>
<div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Prosper Yao Tsikata</span><br style="font-family: Courier New;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Doctoral Student, Health Communication</span><br style="font-family: Courier New;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Ohio University</span><br style="font-family: Courier New;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">School of Communication Studies</span><br style="font-family: Courier New;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Central Classroom 406</span><br style="font-family: Courier New;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Athens, Ohio</span><br style="font-family: Courier New;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">Tel: 740-593-4836</span><br>
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