Samuel Abu Jinapor , (born 1983) is a Ghanaian lawyer and a politician. He is a member of the New Patriotic Party and the Member of Parliament for the Damongo Constituency.[1][2][3] In 2017, President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo appointed him as Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations at the Office of the President, at the age of 33, the youngest in the history of Ghana to occupy such a position. He is currently the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Samuel A. Jinapor MP | |
|---|---|
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| Minister for Lands and Natural Resources | |
| Assumed office March 2021 | |
| President | Nana Akufo-Addo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1983 (age 40–41) Ghana |
| Political party | New Patriotic Party |
| Spouse | Naada B.D. Jinapor |
| Relations | Abdulai Jinapor( father) John Jinapor (brother) Ahmed Jinapor ( brother) |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana, Ghana School of Law |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Portfolio | Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources |
Early life and education
editSamuel Abu Jinapor was born in 1983 to Abudulai Jinapor, a former police officer and Chief of Buipe in the Savannah Region of Ghana.[11] He attended the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 2006. He proceeded to the University of Ghana in 2008 where he earned a Bachelor of Laws in 2010.[12] That same year, he was admitted to read LLB at Ghana School of Law, Makola, Accra. He was called to the Ghana Bar in 2012 as a Solicitor and Barrister of the Supreme Court of Ghana.[12] He also holds a Master of Laws in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Faculty of Law, University Of Ghana. In the course of his studies, amongst others, he successfully took academic sessions in International Commercial Arbitration, Labour Law, Law and Society.
Career
editAs a lawyer, he undertook his pupillage with Messrs Kulendi@Law, an Accra-based commercial and corporate law firm, from October 2012 to August 2013. He studied under the tutelage of the renowned lawyer, Yonny Kulendi, who is now a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana.[13][14]
At Kulendi@Law, Jinapor rose to the position of a Senior Associate. In this capacity, he developed the skills for quick thinking and oratory, and he served as an advocate in major commercial and corporate litigations. Whilst at the firm, Jinapor acted as a transactional lawyer for several complex, commercial negotiations, both domestically and internationally.[15]
Again, as Senior Associate, he was periodically assigned to manage a team of lawyers from diverse backgrounds. While Practicing as a Lawyer, he had the opportunity of representing major foreign companies in Ghana as a Solicitor and Legal Advocate, both in Ghanaian Courts and Arbitral Tribunals.[16][11]
Political life
editJinapor's interest in public affairs inspired him to join politics in 2004. His political activism earned him the opportunity at the age of 23 to accompany the then President of the Republic, His Excellency, John Agyekum Kufour, on a State Visit to the United Kingdom (UK) in 2007.[17]
In 2007, Jinapor was appointed by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, then presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party, as his campaign Assistant for the Party's Presidential Primaries that year. Though, Nana Akufo-Addo won the primaries, he lost the main elections in 2008, but Jinapor stayed as aide for the 2012 Elections.[16]
In the 2016 general elections, Samuel Abu Jinapor, played a major political advocacy role for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and candidate, Akufo-Addo. He was seen and heard on major media and campaign platforms across the country, taking on the incumbent, John Dramani Mahama'sGovernment.[16]
In 2017, after victory at the Election, President Nana Akufo-Addo appointed Jinapor as Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations at the Office of the President. At age 33,, he became the youngest in Ghana's history to occupy that position.
As Deputy Chief of Staff, he assisted the Chief of Staff, Frema Osei Opare in mobilizing government machinery to support the execution of the President's agenda for the country. Having worked closely in various capacities with President Akufo-Addo, both in opposition and government, Jinapor has gained considerable experience in the workings of government.[18][15]
In 2020, whilst still performing his task as Deputy Chief of Staff, he contested as NPP's Parliamentary Candidate for the Damongo Constituency. The polls were competitive, but Jinapor won to become the first in the New Patriotic Party to become MP for the area since Ghana's return to multipary Democracy in 1992.[19][17]
For the results, he won with 15,989 votes, representing 54.1% of the total votes cast whilst the NDC parliamentary candidate Adam Mutawakilu had 13,279 votes making 44.9% of the total votes cast, the independent parliamentary candidate David Tiki Dange had 296 votes making 1.0% of the total votes cast.[20]
| SAMUEL ABU JINAPORWinner | NPP | 15,989 | 54.1% | — | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADAM MUTAWAKILU | NDC | 13,279 | 44.9 | — | |
| DAVID TIKI DANGE | IND | 296 | 1.0 | — |
H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo nominated him as the Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources in his second term government.[21]
On January 16, 2023, he assumed the role of the Trade and Industry Minister as a caretaker after being appointed by H.E Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo on January 13, 2023, until on 7 February 2023, K.T Hammond was appointed as a substantive minister, replacing him. The parliamentary approval for his appointment was granted on 24 March 2023.[22][23][24][25]
In July 2024, he was appointed the Oversight Minister for Energy by President Akufo-Addo following the resignation of Dr. Mathew Opoku-Prempeh,[26] following his nomination as Vice Presidential Candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party.[27][28][29][30][31]
Personal life
editJinapor is married to Mrs. Naada D.B. Jinapor, a Lawyer and head of the Corporate Law Department of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) of Ghana and their marriage is blessed with four (4) children.[32][11] Samuel Abu Jinapor is a Christian.[33]
References
edit
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ "UBA Ghana hands over GHS 130,000 sanitary facility to West Gonja Municipal Assembly". Citinewsroom – Comprehensive News in Ghana. 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ Online, Peace FM. "Profile Of Abu Jinapor, Minister For Lands And Natural Resources Designate & MP, Damongo". Peacefmonline - Ghana news. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ^ "Samuel Abu Jinapor, Biography". ghanaweb. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ^ "Nana Akufo-Addo makes key appointments for Presidency, National Security – Government of Ghana". Government Of Ghana. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ^ Graphic Ghana. "Meet Akufo-Addo's key team members at the presidency – Graphic Online". Graphic Online. Archived from the original on 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ^ "MPs call for probe of all electoral violence". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ "Lands Minister, Abu Jinapor embarks on aerial tour of River Pra - MyJoyOnline.com". myjoyonline. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ "'Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures' – Jinapor justifies burning of excavators". Citinewsroom – Comprehensive News in Ghana. 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
- ^ Darfah Frimpong, Enoch. "Abu Jinapor now caretaker minister for Trade and Industry".
- ^ "Samuel Jinapor replaces Ofori-Atta as caretaker of Trade Ministry". Citinewsroom – Comprehensive News in Ghana. 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ a b c Online, Peace FM. "Akufo-Addos Aide Abu Jinapor Defects To NDC". Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ^ a b "Profile of Nana Addo's administrative staff [Photos] |". citifmonline. 4 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ^ "Profile of Abu Jinapor, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources-designate". GhanaWeb. 2021-01-23. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ "About". Kulendi@Law. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ a b "PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, NANA ADDO DANQUAH AKUFO-ADDO APPOINTS HON. ABU A. JINAPOR AS MINISTER DESIGNATE FOR MINISTRY OF LAN". Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ a b c "Profile: Samuel A. Jinapor, Lands and Natural Resources Minister-designate". landportal. (in French). 2021-02-12. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ a b "Profile of Lands Minister-designate, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor". myinfo ghana. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ "Know Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, Lands Minister-designate". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ "Mahama claims Damongo seat was lost because of 'greed'". GhanaWeb. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ FM, Peace. "2020 Election – Damongo Constituency Results". Ghana Elections – Peace FM. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
- ^ "The Minister". Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ "K. T. Hammond is new trade minister, Bryan Acheampong heads to agric ministry". GhanaWeb. 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "K.T. Hammond, Bryan Acheampong, Asamoah Boateng others approved as ministers".
- ^ "Parliament of Ghana". parliament of ghana. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Parliament approves KT Hammond, Bryan and other new ministers". Citinewsroom – Comprehensive News in Ghana. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "Akufo-Addo accepts NAPO's resignation as Energy Minister". Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana. 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ "Akufo-Addo appoints Abu Jinapor to take Cabinet oversight responsibility at Energy Ministry".
- ^ GNA (2024-07-12). "Abu Jinapor given oversight responsibility over Energy Ministry". Ghana News Agency. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ "President appoints Samuel Jinapor to oversee Energy Ministry".
- ^ "Lands Minister to have oversight responsibility of Energy Ministry at cabinet level - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ "Lands Minister to have Cabinet oversight responsibility over Energy Ministry - Adomonline.com". 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
- ^ Otchere, Gertrude Owireduwaah (2021-02-25). "Meet Abu Jinapor's gorgeous wife [Photos] – Adomonline". Adomonline. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ "Parliament of Ghana". www.parliament.gh. Retrieved 2024-09-25.