Henry Ford Kofi Kamel (21 December 1961 – 25 December 2012) was a Ghanaian banker and politician. He was the Member of Parliament for the Buem constituency from January 2005 and also the Volta Region Minister from March 2012 until his death on 25 December 2012.

Henry Ford Kamel
Member of the Ghana Parliament
for Buem
In office
January 2005 – December 2012
Preceded byEmil Kwadzo Brantuo
Succeeded byDaniel Kwesi Ashiamah
Majority13,627 (52.8)
Volta Regional Minister
In office
26 March 2012 – 25 December 2012
PresidentJohn Atta Mills
Preceded byJoseph Amenowode
Deputy Minister for Lands and Forestry
In office
? – March 2012
PresidentJohn Atta Mills
Personal details
Born(1961-12-21)21 December 1961
Ghana
Died25 December 2012(2012-12-25) (aged 51)
Guaman, Ghana
Political partyNational Democratic Congress
SpouseHelen Kamel
ProfessionBanker, politician
CommitteesSpecial Budget Committee
Works and Housing[1]

Early life and education

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Kamel hails from Guanam, a place in the Volta Region of Ghana. He was born on 21 December 1961. He attended Ho Technical University.[2]

Career

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Kamel trained as a banker and economist by profession. He worked as the managing director of the North Volta Rural Bank Limited.[3]

Parliament

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Kamel was a member of the National Democratic Congress. He won his last election on 7 December 2012 by a majority of 13,627.[4] He first won the seat in the 2004 election replacing Emil Kwadzo Brantuo as the MP in the 4th Parliament of the 4th Republic with a majority of 10,488.[5] He successfully defended his seat in the 2008 Ghanaian general election. He won 65.8% of the vote.[6]

Government

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In March 2012, President John Atta Mills appointed Henry Kamel as the new Volta Regional Minister, replacing Joseph Amenowode.[7][8][9] He stayed in this post until his death on Christmas Day in 2012. Prior to this appointment, he was the Deputy Minister for Lands and Forestry.[10]

One of his notable achievements was bringing peace to the Gbi Traditional Area between the indigenes of Hohoe and the Zongo Community. The Paramount chief of the Gbi Traditional Area, Togbega Gabusu VI, paid tribute to those peace efforts.[11]

Death

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Kamel was reported to have returned to his home town, Guaman in the Jasikan District of the Volta Region on 25 December 2012.[12] While chatting with some family and friends the next day, he suddenly collapsed. He died before arrival at the Jasikan Government Hospital.[13] He was 51.

Personal life

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He was married with three children. He was a Christian and a Catholic.[14]

His daughter launched the Kamel for Hope foundation in his honor to reach out to deprived persons in Ghana. The foundation was founded on 1 May 2013.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Hon. Henry Ford Kamel". Official website. Parliament of Ghana. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  2. ^ "Volta Regional Minister, Henry Ford Kamel, is dead". MyJoyOnline. 25 December 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Members Of Parliament - Profile: Hon. Henry Ford Kamel (NDC) (Buem)". GhanaDistricts. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Election 2012: Buem - Parliamentary Results". Election news online. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Elections 2004 - Ghana's Presidential and Parliamentary Elections" (PDF). Election report. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  6. ^ "Parliamentary Results Buem (Volta Region)". Election 2008 Results. Ghana Home Page. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  7. ^ "President Mills swears-in Victor Smith, Kamel Ford as Regional Ministers". GhanaWeb. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Volta Regional Minister, Henry Ford Kamel, is dead". MyJoyOnline. 25 December 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Family Litigation: Kamel's Family Drag Wife And Daughter To Court". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Ministerial reshuffle: Two ministers sacked!". Politics. MyJoyOnline. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  11. ^ "Gbi chief weeps over death of Regional Minister". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  12. ^ "Henry Ford Kamel's Demise: Blow-By-Blow Account". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Minister Mystery Death: Blow-By-Blow Account". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  14. ^ "Ghana MPs - MP Details - Kamel, Henry Ford (late 25/12/12)". Ghana MPs. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Late Ford Kamel's Daughter Launches Foundation". Peace FM Online. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
Parliament of Ghana
Preceded by
Emil Kwadzo Brantuo
Member of Parliament for Buem
2005 – 2012
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Volta Regional Minister
2012
Succeeded by