J. L. S. Abbey
Joseph Leo Seko Abbey | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 15, 1940 Accra, Gold Coast |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, politician, diplomat |
| Known for | Commissioner for Economic Planning (1978–1979); High Commissioner to Canada (1984–1986); High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (1986–1990); Ambassador to the United States (1990–1994) |
Joseph Leo Seko Abbey was a distinguished Ghanaian economist, political figure, and diplomat. He held the position of Commissioner for Economic Planning (now known as Minister for Finance and Economic Planning) from 1978 until 1979. Abbey also represented Ghana as High Commissioner to Canada between 1984 and 1986, to the United Kingdom from 1986 to 1990, and served as Ambassador to the United States from 1990 through 1994.
Early life and education
Born on 15 August 1940 in Accra, then part of the Gold Coast, Abbey was the son of Robert Mensah Abbey, who was an active politician and Member of Parliament during Ghana’s first republic.
His secondary education took place at Mfantsipim School, followed by a bachelor's degree in economics earned at the London School of Economics in 1964. Abbey furthered his academic credentials with graduate studies in statistics at Iowa State University, where he completed a master's degree in 1967 and a PhD in 1968. In 1971, he joined the University of Western Ontario as an Associate Research Fellow and obtained another master's degree, this time in economics, in 1973.
Career
Beginning his professional journey after graduating from the London School of Economics, Abbey worked as an Assistant Statistical Officer at the Central Bureau of Statistics. After completing his advanced degrees at Iowa State University, he took on a lecturing role in economics at the University of Ghana. Between 1973 and 1974, he was engaged as a research fellow with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) based in New York. Upon returning to Ghana in 1974, Abbey was appointed by the Supreme Military Council (SMC) to serve on the Economic Planning Commission, simultaneously holding responsibilities as government statistician and economist. Following the retirement of Robert K. A. Gardiner in May 1978, Abbey assumed the role of Commissioner for Economic Planning, which is presently titled Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, a post he maintained until September 1979.
During the administration of the Limann government from 1979 to 1982, although not part of the formal government structure, Abbey contributed to the economic team that developed the budget for 1981–1982; this budget was ultimately rejected by parliament for being "unrealistic." Subsequently, he chaired Premier Bank and served as a consultant for both the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
Following Jerry John Rawlings’ coup in 1981, Abbey became a member of the National Economic Review Committee between 1982 and 1983. In June 1983, he was appointed Executive Secretary of the Policy Monitoring and Implementation Committee and also acted as Secretary for Trade under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). During the severe drought crisis of that year, Abbey was instrumental in launching Ghana's Economic Recovery Programme, 1983–1986, which focused on implementing orthodox financial and fiscal reforms. He acknowledged that Ghana had been classified by the World Bank as a "worst case situation," prompting collaborative support from both the World Bank and the IMF for economic restructuring efforts.
Pursuing diplomatic assignments thereafter, Abbey was designated Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada on 6 March 1984, holding this position until 30 September 1986 when he transitioned to become High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Later, on 17 December 1990, he was appointed Ambassador to the United States, serving until his tenure ended on 11 August 1994.