STREET HAWKING IN GHANA.  A SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

(THE CASE OF HAWKERS AT WEIJA TOLL BOOTH AND WINNEBA JUNCTION) 

Introduction

Except for the vehicles that wait in traffic to pay their tolls and those that stop at the Winneba junction either to pick new passengers or drop others, one would have thought that these areas were market places or battle grounds where individuals (both men and women) fought for their survival. Like all marketplaces, the toll booth area features all kinds of hawkers - young and old, women and men, girls and boys, as well as the educated and uneducated.  A close observation of the setting reveals a wide range of wares on sale, hawkers running after vehicles, quarrels among the hawkers, food vendors (chop bar operators) who sell to the hawkers, the trees along the banks of the Weija lagoon that served as resting places for the hawkers and others who dealt in building rocks, slates and flowers.

The Winneba junction offers another great avenue for hawking activities as vehicles from various destinations made their stop there. One look at the face of a hawker who had just sold an item to a passenger reveals a deep satisfaction and triumph over his/her comrade. Also to be seen are drivers’ mates fighting over passengers and station masters either driving these vehicles away or charging them to enter the station to pick up passengers and pay some amount of money.

Research Questions

The Weija toll booth area is not the only place where street hawkers are found in their numbers. What is different here however is the fact that the place is nearly remote from any main town unlike Kaneshie and Winneba junction. One other thing was the free way in which they went about their business as if there was nothing to worry about – the possibility of being knocked down by a vehicle and the activities of the city task force popularly called “aabayee”. Also worthy of note was how they (hawkers at the Weija toll booth and at Winneba junction) made ends meet considering the fact that many of the hawkers sell the same items and the petty quarrels they engage in when one hawker feels outsmarted by another.

1.       Why do so many hawkers prefer hawking on the streets to displaying their wares on tables or stalls at home or in the marketplace?

2.      What agreement do the hawkers have with the toll operators, the police station there and the city task force or the station masters in the case of the Winneba junction?

3.      How do the hawkers manage to get their wares sold considering the fact that they are all selling similar things if not the same things (e.g. ten hawkers selling “boodoo”, water or bread)

The Setting of the Weija Toll Booth and Winneba junction

My first visit to the toll booth on Thursday morning (which was a working day), I encountered most of the hawkers having their wares not on the pavement but on the ground and on benches under the trees while others, especially the hawkers of plantain chips and doughnuts were now packaging them into bits for sale. This notwithstanding, the pure water sellers, chewing gum and toffees sellers as well as the newspaper vendors were already making good use of the traffic by getting their goods sold to the passengers. What fascinated me even on my second visit was the gaiety as well as the vigor with which the hawkers went about their trade.  There was hardly any bread hawker to be found on the side of the road that led to Accra on an early Thursday morning. A few could however be seen on the other side of the rood which leads to Kasoa and the Central region. It is on this same stretch of road that you will normally find the beverage hawkers (those who sell packs of Malta Guinness, Guinness, Smirnoff, Guilder, Beer, Alvaro, Countre milk and so on).

I went to these places twice not only for assignment purposes but the fact that there was always so many hawkers at that point had always bothered my mind. I wanted to know why there were always more female than male hawkers (I knew this because I often pass through this area and I see them) as well as whether or not they make enough money to encourage them to keep coming there and the other reasons for their being there. The answers to these are found in the subsequent discussions

Gaining Access to the Sites

On the early Thursday morning that I visited the toll booth site, I alighted at the Tuba junction and walked to the area around the toll where the hawking was more serious even though the hawkers could be found along the road from the tuba junction where the traffic had built up. The side of the road leading to Accra was busier apparently because many people worked in the capital city. On the other side of the road leading to kasoa however, there was nearly no traffic and hawking activities there was not vibrant.  All I did that morning was to observe the on-goings in the environment. I observed the sexual divisions of the people selling there that early morning as well as the various age brackets they fell into. Among the items on sale that morning were sachet and mineral water, newspapers, chewables (toffees and gums), chips (plantain and flour chips),  call credit cards, koko king (porridge) vendors, doughnuts and other such petty things.

On the other side of the road however, were hawkers who were now packaging their stuff before they began the real hawking business. The food sellers (let’s call them chop bar operators because they sell fufu, banku, boiled yam and so on) had just settled and were cooking. The florists were also trimming and irrigating their flowers and flower beds while the building rock dealers whose rocks have already been set up sit under the trees in wait for customers.  The beverage hawkers were also in with their tables and beverages and were setting up (they are mostly to be found on the road that led to kasoa and the central region) whiles the bread hawkers have received their consignments from the various bakeries and were packaging them. In all, I counted about forty- five people that morning (fifteen males and about thirty females). What I didn’t know was whether they were all hawkers. The toll booth attendants were busily collecting the tolls from drivers without noticing the hawkers at all.

On the second visit which was on a Saturday and holiday, what I wanted to look out for or to know was whether the city task force did come there to sack the people off the street and whether the hawkers paid anything like income tax to the revenue collectors. I also wanted to know how many of the young hawkers were in school or have some level of education. Also important to me was the reason why those people were there in the first place and how they made sales with so many people selling similar things.  I was surprised to see the number of hawkers almost doubled the number I met there on Thursday morning. I approached one of the women who sold the assorted beverages and engaged her in a conversation. I first introduced myself and my mission in that area. She was very welcoming and offered me a lot of relevant information. This woman had been there for almost five years and was seated with her beverages on the pavement. According to her, she came there every day of the week except on Sundays.  She said sales had dropped that day (Saturday) because of the festivities and that on a very good day, she sold a lot of drinks especially the Malt. When asked why she would not establish a convenient shop, she replied by saying that, sales at the toll booth was much better than for her  to sit at one place. Besides, she had no money to establish a shop. Though she spoke to me, her eyes were fixed on the road for potential buyers. She will dash off like lightning to sell to a passenger in a vehicle and be back before I knew it. In the fifteen minutes that I stood beside her talking, she had sold about five mini packs of Malta Guinness. It left me wondering how ‘bad’ the market was according to the woman and how a good market looked like.

When I left the woman to search for another person to speak with, one of the male hawkers called out to me and started behaving funny (he said he had missed me in English even though I haven’t seen him before) and I wanted to ignore him but decided to engage him on a second thought because he was accommodating. I drew closer to him and we started conversing. I didn’t tell him about my mission from the beginning but his words and mannerisms gave me the opportunity to ask follow up questions. For instance, he asked me whether I wanted to join them and I said I hoped so but don’t know what to sell. Because he was speaking English language, I asked him whether he was a student and he said he had completed Senior High School and needed money to further, that was why he was selling bread at the toll booth. He also confirmed that more women and girls than men and boys were hawking in the area, because in his words “women and girls had more problems than men”.  As I spoke with him, other hawkers (his friends) also came around, apparently to listen to what we were discussing and in the process we formed an informal focus group. According to the boy, there was no one in charge of the place and that anyone could just come and sell whatever they wished without any hindrances. Like the woman I first spoke to, he said the revenue collectors used to come for income tax but not anymore. Also the city task forces come around only on weekdays to rid the hawkers off the pavements but not off the middle of the roads. According to him as well as others, one problem they have to grapple with was the frequency with which their monies were taken away by drivers and passengers leaving them with hardly any income after the daily sales

Most of the hawkers that I spoke with attested to the fact that some of the young hawkers are either in school or have completed one level and only came there on holidays and weekends to sell in order to survive and support themselves.

There were other hawkers who wore uniforms to identify and distinguish themselves from all others – Kantanka pastries (orange and white outfits with a hat) and the Adinkra pastries (green and white outfits with a hat). These two groups were a perfect example of ‘survival of the fittest’ as they sold the same pastries and each group does all it could to make their brand the preferred choice

Going closer to the area under the trees close to the lagoon, I realized that the ‘chop bar’ operators were busily pounding off their worries whiles other hawkers were there eating. When I asked why so many of them were seated under the trees with others fast asleep, I was told that, they were either tired or had finished selling their wares.

Just as I was about to leave the scene, I spotted a group of young boys selling fresh tilapia they had caught from the Weija lagoon. I had a good laugh when one of the boys was shouting “fresh tilapia promotion”. I asked him why he has added promotion to his slogan and he replied by saying that he was giving out the tilapia on promotional prices by giving seven pieces of the fish for ten cedis (10.00) instead of the usual five pieces as Easter present to his customers. Also, it was getting late and he needed to get back to work at the lagoon. 

The situation was not very different from what happens at the Winneba junction.  What caught my attention here was one could not tell where the hawkers appeared from ones a vehicle stops at the junction. They swarm around one vehicle, especially; the bigger busses like bees and I  could not but wonder whether each one of them is able to sell their wares. The most common items on sale here unlike the toll booth area were “boodoo”, fried yam and steamed bush meat on sticks. Of course there was water in abundance. Here too, most of the other hawkers of fruits and the like sat behind their wares till they were called by a passenger to serve them.

I also realized from the times that I have been there and from interviews I had with some of the hawkers of “boodoo” that the number of hawkers could fluctuate from one season to the next, one day to the next, and even during a single day. This was because some vendors only sold in the morning, afternoon or evening; and others sold only during certain seasons.

One thing however was true among the two places – the fittest hawker survives in the midst of all these by getting his/her goods sold

Structuralist perspective of street hawking: a necessity-driven activity

Street hawking falls within the category of economic activities generally referred to as the informal sector (Jimu, 2003). Being one of the highly visible informal sector activities, street hawking is basically unregulated trading that takes place in public spaces such as streets, sidewalks, bridges, pavements etc (Jimu, 2005).

 Bhowmik, (2000), described a hawker to be a person who in the name of commerce occupies space on the street, pavements or other public/private spaces or, they may be mobile in the sense that they move from place to place by carrying their wares on push carts or in baskets on their heads.

With this recognition of the widespread persistence and even growth of street hawking, a structuralist perspective has come to the fore which depicts this endeavour as a survival practice conducted out of economic necessity as a last resort in the absence of alternative means of livelihood (Williams & Gurtoo, 2012). In many developing countries like Ghana, women tend to predominate in areas of trade which are less lucrative. With the low level of education of these hawkers as and the lack of employment even for highly educated people, it is not surprising to find so many youths as well as middle aged women engage in this kind of trade (skinner, 2008).

Gender perspectives

Why so many women than men at these places? This brings to mind the boy I interviewed at the toll booth, he said “the females are many because they have more problems”. What were these problems and why do they think the solutions to them lie on the street? Considering the first woman I spoke with, despite everything she told me, she was also a mother and had a family to support. The young girls, especially, the teenage mothers had babies to cater for and looking at their levels of education and financial standing, they have no other option but to carry wares on their heads and sell (a common phenomenon among Ghanaian women). But where are the men involved in all these? It shows the level of marginality and oppression women are still going through as well as the result of the social structure that has not given consideration to people like these.

Another factor that leads to the issue of the fight of survival is urbanization, migration and economic development trends which suggest that there has been a rapid increase in the number of street traders operating on the streets of African cities (ILO, 2002).

One thing I noticed about the hawkers was the fact that most of them were not from the greater Accra region. They or their parents (in the case of the young one) are migrants who had come to the cities in search of unavailable employment. Faced with the harsh realities of city life, they have no option but to join the band of street hawkers to make ends meet. 

These hawkers are depicted as unwilling and unfortunate pawns in an exploitative global economic system. For such marginalized populations, street hawking ‘is the only means for survival’.  From the structuralist perspective, this necessity-driven endeavour is highly insecure and unstable, composed of long hours, poor conditions, and no legal or social protection, (ILO, 2002; Kapoor, 2007).

REFERNECES

Skinner, C. (2008). Street Trade in Africa: A Review. School of Development Studies

Mittullah, W. (1991) Hawking as a Survival Strategy for the Urban Poor in Nairobi: The Case of Women. Environment and Urbanization, Vol.3, No.2.

Williams C. & Gurtoo A. (2012). Evaluating competing theories of street entrepreneurship: Some lessons from a study of street vendors in Bangalore, India. Springer science+ business media

WHEN A GOOD PERSON LEAVES

The Extraordinary trailblazer

PROFESSOR JOHN EVANS ATTAH MILLS

Politician, Lecturer

"My unshakeable resolve as a young, idealistic lecturer then was to teach until my compulsory retirement. But even though my lofty dreams did not materialize, and I sometimes ask myself whether this excursion outside the Ivory Tower was worth the effort, I am nevertheless always grateful to God and also the good people of Ghana for the rare opportunity they offered me to serve my dear nation. As to whether I made the best possible use of this opportunity, I shall not attempt an answer; I shall leave the judgment to the historians and posterity."
Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills.  Source: attamills.org

Personal information

Born on July 21, 1944 at Tarkwa in the Eastern region, Professor John Evans Attah Mills hails from Ekumfi Otuam in the Central region of Ghana. Married Ernestina Naadu Mills, an educator and has a son, Kofi Sam Attah Mills.

Education: BA, PhD, Law, Economics and Taxation. Studied at the University of Ghana, London school of Economics and Political science, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Stanford Law School.

Religion: A Christian. Raised Methodist, worshipped in an interdenominational church and a friend of Prophet T.B. Joshua. Tolerated other religions and worked well with them.

Memberships: Member of the Ghana Stock Exchange Council               Board of Trustees, Mines Trust Management Committee, Commonwealth Administration of Tax Experts, United Nations Ad Hoc Group of Experts in International Cooperation in Tax Matters, and United Nations Law and Population Project as well as a member of the Veterans Hockey Team

Career: Lecturer (University of Ghana and a visiting professor in a number of Universities worldwide), Acting Commissioner and Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service 1988 – 1996, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana 1997 – 2001. He was the Presidential candidate on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2000 – 2008 and President of Ghana from January 2009 – July 2012.

Life and work: Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was often called ‘the Prof’ long before he became a professor because of his exceptional academic credentials. He was born to madam Mercy Dawson Atta Mills and Mr. John Evans Atta Mills Senior on July 21st, 1944, at Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana and hails from Ekumfi Otuam, a small fishing community which never dreamt of being as famous as to produce a president for the republic of Ghana. This town can be found in the Mfantsiman East Constituency of the Central Region.                                                                                               

Young Atta Mills launched a lifelong interest in acquiring knowledge at Achimota Secondary School, where he obtained his General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level in 1963. Right from the onset, the prof exhibited his prowess in sporting activities such as football and hockey. His mates back in school today readily attest to the fact that he was a very good sportsman. This notwithstanding, he was also an exceptionally brilliant student who worked to the admiration of both teachers and his fellow mates.

He attended the University of Ghana, Legon, where he received a bachelor's degree and professional certificate in Law (1967). Here too, the prof was not only engrossed in his books but again engaged in sporting activities, playing football with the likes of Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo who was his mate at the University of Ghana. This earned him the nickname – ‘Millsoo’.                                                                                                                                    While earning a PhD in Law from the prestigious School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, John Evans Atta Mills was selected as a Fulbright scholar at the equally prestigious Stanford Law School in the United States of America. At the fledgling age of 27, he was awarded his PhD after successfully defending his doctoral thesis in the area of taxation and economic development.

Prof. Mills' first formal teaching assignment was as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, Legon where he spent close to twenty five (25) years imparting acquired knowledge. He is reputed to sometimes go to class without any reference book but could teach to the understanding of the dullest student and had answers all questions thrown at him. The prof really had all the ideas in his brains. Most of his students today attest to the fact that “the Prof” was one of their very best teachers of all times.  He also lectured at other institutions of higher learning such as Temple Law School (Philadelphia, USA), with two stints from 1978 to 1979, and 1986 to 1987, Leiden University (Holland) from 1985 to 1986.

During this period, he authored several publications relating to taxation in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of this numerous and ever educative publications include: A Study on Equipment Leasing in Ghana and a Casebook preparation on Ghana's Income Tax Review of Ghana's Double Tax Agreement with the U.K, Taxation of Periodical or Deferred Payments arising from the Sale of Fixed Capital (1974), Exemption of Dividends from Income taxation: A critical Appraisal (1977), Report of the Tax Review Commission, Ghana, parts 1, 2&3, (1977) and Ghana's Income Tax Laws and the Investor (An inter-faculty lecture published by the University of Ghana). These publications were of immense benefit to his students, fellow lecturers and our country- Ghana as a whole.

Professor John Evans Atta Mill was really a man of many sides. His expertise goes well beyond the classroom, and is evidenced by the various examiner positions he held with finance related institutions throughout Ghana (i.e. Institute of Chartered Accountants, Institute of Bankers, Ghana Tax Review Commission).
As an advocate for recreation and an active sportsman and sports fan, Professor Mills has supported the academic community and the nation at large through his contribution to the Ghana Hockey Association, National Sports Council of Ghana, and Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club.
The Law Professor loves sports and he is a keen hockey player and once played for the national team and is still member of the Veterans Hockey Team. He equally keeps his body in shape by swimming, spending close to two hours every day when he has time. The prof is an academician, sportsman and an astute politician.

Appointments:

Just as the rainbow, professor Mills was a man of many bright colours who shone exceedingly in all his endeavours. His deeds, speech, persona, thoughts and intentions were uniquely remarkable and unmatched.

Surely, a man of such great dynamism and potentials could not go unnoticed. A track record of financial knowledge and strong professional credentials therefore led to several important appointments:

In 1988, John Evans Atta Mills became the acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service of Ghana. As an acting commissioner, Mills executed his duty well and brought to bear his knowledge and expertise in issues relating to economic and taxation. The prof caught the eyes of his superiors to make him the substantive commissioner in 1996. The government of the former president Jerry John Rawlings and the good people of Ghana never regretted making him the Commissioner of such a great and an all-important outfit – Internal Revenue Service now Ghana Revenue Authority.

In 1997, Prof. Mills received another important appointment when on January 7, 1997, he was sworn-in as the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana. Until then, the prof had not tasted the full vagaries of the politics of Ghana. He was preceded by Kow Nkensen Arkaah. He played his role very well to the admiration of both the then president, J.J. Rawlings, the supporters of the NDC and the people of Ghana. “Professor Mills was an outstanding Vice-President, gifted with an excellent retentive memory and served his role with full merit.  He had an excellent sense of punctuality, which can best be described as non-Ghanaian. Having won my respect and admiration, there was no hesitation when I had to nominate him as Presidential candidate for the NDC.” These were the words of former president J.J. Rawlings in his tribute to the prof during the state burial. The prof proved to be selfless, hardworking, incorruptible and a man full of integrity. It was always extremely difficult to find fault in him.

In 2000, Mills became the NDC's candidate for the 2000 presidential election after Rawlings had served his constitutionally mandated terms as president. The main rival for Mills' own bid for the presidency was John Agyekum Kufuor, who was running as the candidate for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). In the first round, held on 7 December 2000, Mills gained 44.8% of the vote, Kufuor won the first round with 48.4%, thus forcing a second round. On 28 December 2000, Kufuor defeated Mills with 56.9% of the vote and was sworn in as president on 7 January 2001. It was during this time that the term Better Ghana Agenda was coined.

In 2002, Prof. Mills was a visiting scholar at the Liu Centre for the Study of Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Canada. By dint of hard work, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills was elected by his party – the National Democratic Congress in the same year, December 2002 to be its flag bearer. However, Prof. Mills lost yet again to the sitting president, His Excellency John Agyekum kufour. His desire to serve Ghana never wavered until January 2009 when he was given the mandate to be president of the Republic of Ghana.

The supporters of the NDC once again reelected John Evans Atta Mills in December 2006 by an overwhelming 81.4%, making him beat three other contestants, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, and Eddie Annan. This enabled him to once again have the clout to lead his party into the 2008 general elections. He campaigned on the theme “A better man for a better Ghana”. He also adopted what came to be known as ‘door to door evangelism’ and promised Ghanaians that he will be father for all when given the mandate to rule.

January 3rd 2009-Professor Mills declared President-Elect in the 2008 elections. He had 4,521,032 votes representing 50.32 % beating his rival Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who had 4,480,446 votes representing 49.77%. In January 7th, 2009, Professor Mills was sworn in as the Third President of the Republic of Ghana.

Qualities:                                                                                                                                          Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills is a man of high integrity, humble, a liberal minded person who consults and peace as his watch-word. He is known in Ghana as "Asomdweehene" which literally means the "King of Peace". He is an academician, sportsman and an astute politician.
John Evans Atta Mills is the only person who has ran for President on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for three consecutive times in the history of the Party.                

He won the Presidency on the third attempt in the 2008 general elections. (December 7th & 28th, 2008 and January 2^nd, 2009 -28th December, 2008 and January 2nd 2009 elections were Presidential run-offs)  Professor Mills who campaigned on "CHANGE" during the 2008 elections has more than a dozen publications to his credit.                                                                                                    The following are a few of his activities and projects:

• Member of the Ghana Stock Exchange Council
• Board of Trustees, Mines Trust
• Management Committee Member of Commonwealth Administration of Tax Experts, United Nations Ad Hoc Group of Experts in International Cooperation in Tax Matters, and United Nations Law and Population Project
• A Study on Equipment Leasing in Ghana
• Casebook preparation on Ghana's Income Tax Review of Ghana's Double Tax Agreement with the U.K

Presidency

Amongst his accomplishments as president was presiding over and initiating Ghana's first ever oil production. He was also credited for other economic growth in the country during his tenure. Many basic schools were built during his term of office, hospitals and road networks were constructed to ease the movement of goods from the hinterlands to the major cities.  A few months prior to his death, he was praised by U.S. President Barack Obama for making Ghana a "good news story" that had good democratic credentials. He also fostered economic ties with China. He was also the first incumbent president to be re-nominated for an election for his party via a primary.

He was a good friend to T. B. Joshua, Prophet of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations in Lagos, Nigeria and regularly visited his church. He said, following his inauguration that Joshua had prophesied that it would take him three elections to win the presidency and that the result would be released in January.

The prof practiced a very different kind of politics that was alien to Ghana. He really proved to be the father for all.  His deeds and utterances made him a rare gem and difficult to fathom. He moved away from the politics of rancour, acrimony, animosity, nepotism, vendetta, witch-hunting and many other divisive tendencies.

The way and manner he steered the presidency was phenomenal and mind-boggling. He replaced opulence, flamboyance and extravagance which are religiously adhered to by most African presidents with modesty and moderation. He never had an acquisitive mind. He eschewed graft, greed, avarice, cupidity and corruption which are generally high in political circles. The qualities the president brought to the presidency are unsurpassed in the history of any leader in the country. Many a time, one wondered and stared open-mouthed at the ineffable disposition of the president.

No sitting president had ever suffered the kind of criticism, insult and contempt that the president endured. Not only did he endure obnoxious criticism from his political opponents – some of whom he taught, but also from his own political party. He found himself in an unfortunate atmosphere where “just anybody” could open their mouth and say horrendous things about and against him and go scot free. He endured unconstructive criticism from the rich, poor, literate, illiterate, young, old, influential and ineffectual. It was therefore not surprising when after his death a high-ranking personality in the country said ‘the president suffered from the cancer of insults’.

His immense love for sports made him contribute to the Ghana Hockey Association, National Sports Council of Ghana and Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club. He enjoyed field hockey and swimming, and once played for the national hockey team (he remained a member of the Veterans Hockey Team until his death). He was also a board member of Hearts of Oak and an astute Manchester United fan.

Illness and Death

Good people they say do not live long. His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta Mills died on 24 July 2012 at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra three days after his 68th birthday. Though the cause of death was not immediately released, he had been suffering from throat cancer and had recently been to the United States for medical reasons. His brother, Dr. Cadman Atta Mills also stated during the burial service that he (John Atta Mills) had died from massive stroke^. Announcing his death, the office of the president noted that he died hours after being taken ill but a presidential aide said that he had complained of pains the day prior to his death.

According to the BBC, his voice had degenerated in the previous few months. Former minister Elizabeth Ohene said that as a result of previous false reports of his death, she had not believed initial claims of his actual death. "For the past three or four years there's been news he's been unwell and rumours of his death — twice — and he appeared with grim humour to say they were exaggerated, insisting he was well.

His vice president John Dramani Mahama was sworn in at about 18:00 GMT on the same day. In accordance with Ghana's constitution, Mahama's tenure will expire at the same time Mills' was due to end, by the end of the year just prior to an election in which he was due to run.

Vice-President John Mahama said upon being inaugurated as president in parliament:

“This is the saddest day in our nation's history. Tears have engulfed our nation and we are deeply saddened and distraught. I never imagined that one day our nation will be placed in such a difficult circumstance. I'm personally devastated, I've lost a father, I've lost a friend, and I’ve lost a mentor and a senior comrade. Ghana is united in grief at this time for our departed president”.

State Burial

From the 8^th–10^th August, his body lay in state, where Ghanaian government officials, civil society, the general public and dignitaries such as Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara, Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan paid their last respects. The body was then taken by a military cortege from the State House parliamentary complex to Independence Square for the funerary service which was attended by eighteen (18) African Heads of State, five (5) Vice-Presidents, US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and several international envoys.

In all, there were sixty-four (64) foreign delegations represented at the funeral. In addition to the over 50,000 people who gathered for the ceremony, his funeral was also attended by Benin's Thomas Boni Yayi who said of Mills that he was "passionate about peace in Africa and in the region," as well as Togo's Faure Gnassingbe, who said "[Mills] was like a brother to me. I will surely miss him”.

During the ceremony, flyers with prayers for peace and 100 white doves were released into the air, an allusion to the leadership style of the late Ghanaian leader. After the funeral service, the casket together with the cortege was taken in a procession through some principal streets of the Ghanaian capital, Accra. The mortal remains of the late president was then laid to rest in a Park, next to the Osu Castle (formerly known as Fort Christiansburg), a 17th century slave fortress on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean's, Gulf of Guinea. The park where the Presidential Mausoleum is located has been renamed Asomdwee (Peace) Park, a reference to the peaceful and reserved nature of John Atta Mills.

During the solemn burial ceremony, Mills was accorded full military honours including a slow march/ parade by the Ghanaian Army, a 21-gun salute and a fly-past of military planes as the coffin was being lowered into the grave. Wreaths were laid by the president John Dramani Mahama, the former first lady- Dr. Ernestina Naadu Mills among other personalities and bodies.

Tributes from International Bodies and Personalities.

ECOWAS URGES IMMORTALIZATION OF LATE PRESIDENT ATTAH MILLS’ LEGACY

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, says the greatest tribute to the memory of Ghana’s late President, Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, is to immortalize the ideals of peace-building and demonstrate a passion for regional integration which he lived and died for. “We will miss his wisdom, his simplicity, tolerance and quality leadership, which contributed to the unity and stability of not only his country, Ghana, but also our region and the African continent,” President Ouédraogo told journalists in Accra, where he joined world leaders and other dignitaries in the funeral ceremonies for the departed Ghanaian leader and African statesman. The ECOWAS chief described the late president as a great leader and democrat who led by example and from whom the region would draw great lessons in democratic governance. “As a teacher, he trained many Ghanaians and a number of Africans,” President Ouédraogo recalled, adding that the departed Ghanaian leader would be greatly missed. The ECOWAS President who had earlier sent a condolence message to the Government, people and immediate family of the late Professor Atta-Mills, led a delegation of the Commission and other Community Institutions which joined millions of other mourners to pay their last respects to the departed leader whose remains were laid in-state from 7th to 9th August 2012 at designated locations in Accra, before burial on Friday, 10th August 2012. Many ECOWAS leaders and their counterparts from outside the region were present to bid farewell to the late Ghanaian President, while other countries sent high-ranking representations to the three-day funeral rites. The VIP visitors to Ghana included the Chairman of the African Union, President Thomas Boni Yayi of Benin, Chairman of  the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria’s President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, who is on an African tour. Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, who received President Ouédraogo and his delegation on arrival in Accra on Thursday, 9th August 2012, described the presence of many ECOWAS leaders as a demonstration of solidarity with Ghana and the collective grief by the entire region. “President Atta-Mills made regional integration agenda the flagship of his government’s foreign policy,” the Minister affirmed, noting that he also bonded very well with his colleague Heads of State, promoted understanding and contributed to the repositioning of the region for economic development and international competitiveness. Ghanaians were generous in the outpouring of emotions and tributes to their late leader, with Accra, the nation’s capital and other major cities, literally draped in the funeral colours of red and black and the citizens lining the streets in winding queues to catch a final glimpse of their departed leader before his remains are committed to Mother Earth. The Government has declared Friday, 10th August 2012 as a national holiday to ensure massive citizen participation in the unprecedented national mourning, never seen before in the country’s 55-year history. President Atta-Mills, who assumed office in January 2009, died on 24th July2012 at the age of 68. Former Vice President, John Dramani Mahama, has since been sworn in as his successor.

Obama Pays Tribute to the Late Pres. Atta-Mills

It was with great regret that I learned of the passing of President John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana. I will always remember my trip to Ghana in 2009, and the hospitality that President Mills and the people of Ghana showed to me, Michelle, Malia, Sasha and our entire delegation.

I was also pleased to host President Mills in the Oval Office earlier this year. President Mills tirelessly worked to improve the lives of the Ghanaian people. He helped promote economic growth in Ghana in the midst of challenging global circumstances and strengthened Ghana’s strong tradition of democracy. Under his leadership, the United States and Ghana deepened our partnership in the promotion of good governance and economic development.

He was also a strong advocate for human rights and for the fair treatment of all Ghanaians. On behalf of the American people, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the people of Ghana, and reaffirm the deep and enduring bonds between our democracies that President Mills helped to strengthen.

Tribute from Former President Rawlings

Former President Jerry John Rawlings on Friday paid tribute to the late President John Evans Atta Mills as follows:

“My earliest memory of John Evans Atta Mills was as a sportsman at Achimota School.

“The Prof, as I preferred to call him, served in several institutional capacities during my tenure as Head of State, close contact was renewed when he was nominated and subsequently confirmed as Vice-President when the NDC won the December 1996 Presidential elections.

“Professor Mills was an outstanding Vice-President, gifted with an excellent retentive memory and served his role with full merit.

“He had an excellent sense of punctuality, which can best be described as non-Ghanaian.

“Having won my respect and admiration, there was no hesitation when I had to nominate him as Presidential candidate for the NDC.

“Prof had often presided over cabinet, as Vice-President, so I sought the opinions of the ministers to confirm if they thought he was good enough to be President and the response was overwhelming.

“Against strong opposition, some from within the party, I stood by the Prof and gave him full support after the electoral misfortunes of 2000 and 2004 because I was convinced he had the capacity to be an excellent President, having excelled as Vice-President.

“Prof, you came into office with your dignity and integrity intact.

“I do recall some of the night briefings you used to give me, especially after cabinet meetings and how I insisted you stand your ground when a few errant appointees attempted to test your integrity.

“A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the hard fought electoral victory of 2008. While many may perceive my criticism of the Prof as ill conceived, I was not going to look away while a man with such great potential was led astray from the ideals that we fought for; from the ideals that the NDC stood for.

“We waged a stout political campaign in 2008 and those who really cared for the Prof deserved to speak the truth to help him succeed as President.

“My final meeting with Prof before he passed away was on Thursday July 5 at the Castle.

“During our meeting we expressed our mutual respect for each other as was always the case and news of his departure on July 24 came with cold pain.

“Fare thee well Prof. Damirifa Due.”

Poetry Tributes

Bright

Dzorgbese Lisa has treated us thus;
It has led us among the sharps of the forest
Returning is not possible
And going forward is a great difficulty
The affairs of this world is like chameleon feaces into which we have step
When we clean it cannot go.
Indeed a great tree has fallen; Ghana has lost a humble servant, a master and a leader.
We mourn your death but we are not mourning as those who lose all hope for we take consolations from these words of Apostle Paul that; "if we live, we live for Christ and if we die we die for Christ".
We pray that God give you a befitting place of rest.
Asumdwehene Da yie!
H.E. Prof. Evans Atta Fiifi Mills Hede nyuie!!
Mr. President; May your soul rest in perfect peace!!!

From: Kwesi Atta Sakyi

Oh Prof, who will your Better Ghana vision carry?
Some say you should have tarried
Are they playing God?
Your death has made many harried
Your fiery critics no longer can hold you in derision
We all mourn you in unison
Ghana and Ekumfi Otuam have lost a worthy son

A great man in death unites
Tributes pour in from right and left
Even your bitterest bashers are cowed
In death you stand so tall
In death you shamed them all
When the physical and political duels were hottest
You elected and bowed
Though it was not your wish
Death is inescapable path for a mortal
Christ our Lord and St Peter
Receive you at heaven’s portal

  

It is only when we lose what we have that its importance dawns on us. There were many times when I wondered what the prof was made of. To me, he was an extra ordinary man. Come to think of it, he hardly got angry, made a joke in the face of hatred and was not ashamed to acknowledge the fact that he wholly depended on God to direct the affairs of the nation. I dare say that the prof was a man of unquestionable character.

My tears continued to flow from the announcement of his death to the day he was buried. 

After all is said and done, each person who once walked on the surface of this earth will be remembered for one thing or the other long after they are no more. I will remember the prof for being a man of unequaled integrity. 

Ampa, Odupong bi etutu

Damrifa due

Yaa w) ojobang

Da yie

Hedenyuie 

Rest in peace