Dr Anthony Osei Akoto in life, commanded the kind of respect that was reserved for the truly great. Articulate in matters of economics and finance, reserved and austere, he lived a life that was worthy of emulation.
At his passing, on Monday March 20, 2023, the tributes from those who knew him closely, including his colleagues in Parliament, point to the inexorable fact that he, indeed, Dr Osei Akoto, was a man richly endowed with the attributes usually ascribed to great men of achievement.
Neither flashy nor flamboyant, he had qualities that were more useful: integrity, decency, vast experience, and the deserved trust of his colleagues, as eulogized by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumani Bagbin.
Dr Osei Akoto, loved his country and his people and it showed. . He was the symbol of statesmanship, patriotism, selflessness and courage. These were some of the excellent qualities that had guided him through his years of active public service. We salute this role model that inspired, prayed and contributed his quota to the service of God and country.
Anthony Akoto Osei was born in Sunyani to a distinguished statesman on 18 April 1953. He served as the MP for Old Tafo in the Ashanti Region. During his time in Parliament, he was ranking member on the finance committee and a member of the committee on interior and defence.
Osei obtained a Master of Arts degree in applied economics from the American University in 1980 and a PhD from Howard University in 1987. He had earlier obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1978.
He attended Achimota and Opoku Ware Secondary Schools, where he obtained his GCE Advanced and Ordinary level certificates, respectively.
He is considered as one of the finest Ghanaian economists of recent years, acquiring his experience from providing consultancy services for the World Bank (Korea Division) in 1987, teaching at Dillard and Howard Universities from 1984 to 1995 as an associate professor in economics and as a research fellow for the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA) from 1996 to 2001 in Ghana.
He had many academic publications on monetary, international and quantitative economics to his name.
In the government of J A Kufuor he was made first (from 2001-2003) a special advisor to the minister of finance and economic planning and later appointed a deputy minister in the Ministry of Finance in 2003.
He was elevated to the position of minister of state at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, a position he held until the NPP party lost power in December 2008.
In 2006, he founded the Wealth Creation and Social Development Skills Training Centre, which trains about one hundred young people every year.
In February 2017, Osei was sworn in as minister of monitoring and evaluation in the Akufo-Addo governemnt.
As he goes to be with his Maker at 64, we join his family, relations and friends in wishing him a peaceful repose in Heaven.
