Ghana: Information on Kojo Tsikata and on whether he is currently or was in 1992 in charge of national security, on whether he is a member of the Council of State and on whether he holds a rank in the military
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GHA19417.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ghana: Information on Kojo Tsikata and on whether he is currently or was in 1992 in charge of national security, on whether he is a member of the Council of State and on whether he holds a rank in the military, 1 January 1995, GHA19417.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aae944.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a journalist with the London-based New African, Kojo Tsikata has been in charge of national security since 1982, when he joined the Rawlings administration (21 Jan. 1995). The journalist stated in a telephone interview that Kojo Tsikata is a member of the Council of State and held the rank of captain in the Ghana army. However, Kojo Tsikata is today listed as a retired captain of the Ghana army (ibid.). The journalist stated that Kojo Tsikata is the "brain behind the Rawlings revolution," and that President Rawlings has become so reliant on the captain that the president would be at a total loss without the captain. West Africa and The Ghana Drum corroborate the journalist's information that Kojo Tsikata is a member of the Council of State (7-13 Nov. 1994, 1912; Nov. 1994, 14).
A doctoral student who specializes in the integration of African refugees in Canada and other related issues at York University's Centre for Refugee Studies in Toronto, agreed with the New African journalist regarding the close relations between Rawlings and Captain Kojo Tsikata (21 Jan. 1995). According to the doctoral student, the close relations between the two have made the captain a powerful person in the Rawlings government (21 Jan. 1995). The doctoral student further agreed with the journalist on the military rank of Kojo Tsikata. The doctoral student added that Kojo Tsikata has been a special advisor, confidant and right-hand man of the president, and he was not aware of any information to the contrary (ibid.).
Also, the doctoral student was unable to indicate the current head of national security in Ghana, but he believes that Kojo Tsikata has been Rawlings' advisor and confidant on matters of national security. The doctoral student is not sure whether Kojo Tsikata is a member of the Council of State, but he stated that, considering Kojo Tsikata's closeness to the president, it would not surprise him if he were a member of the council.
Death and Pain in Rawlings' Ghana: The Inside Story corroborates the information provided by the above-cited sources concerning the importance of Kojo Tsikata in the Rawlings government (1994, 234). According to this source, although Tsikata was not an original member of Rawlings' Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), he became the head of national security. This source did not indicate whether Tsikata is still in that portfolio.
Other sources consulted by the DIRB mention either in passing or in detail that Kojo Tsikata was the head of national security in the PNDC administration in 1992 or before, and these include Amnesty International, Africa Confidential, West Africa, Africa Contemporary Record (1986-1989) and The Ghana Drum. For details on Kojo Tsikata, please refer to the attachments.
The Europa World Yearbook 1992 and The Europa World Yearbook 1994, which are currently available at Regional Documentation Centres, contain information that may be useful. The 1992 edition lists Kojo Tsikata as a member of the PNDC in 1992 (1992, 1229). The same source in its 1994 edition states that the National Security Council comprises of senior ministers and members of the security forces, who act as advisory bodies to the president (1994, 1292). However, this source did not mention Kojo Tsikata as a member of the council.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Adjei, Mike. 1994. Death and Pain: Rawlings' Ghana The Inside Story. London: Black Line Publishing Ltd.
Doctoral student, specializing in the integration of African refugees in Canada and other related issues, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, Toronto. 21 January 1995. Telephone interview.
The Europa World Year Book 1994. 1994. 34th ed. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications.
The Europa World Year Book 1993. 1993. 34th ed. Vol. 1. London: Europa Publications.
The Ghana Drum [Gaithersburg, MD]. November 1994, Vol. 3, No. 10. "A Legal View of the Tsikata-Independence Case," p. 14.
Journalist with the New African, London. 21 January 1995. Telephone interview.
West Africa [London]. 7-13 November 1994. "Ghana: UK Court Rules Against Tsikata."
Attachments
Adjei, Mike. 1994. Death and Pain: Rawlings' Ghana The Inside Story. London: Black Line Publishing, pp. 106-107, 207-08, 233-37, 244-45, 270-71.
Africa Confidential [London]. 21 January 1994. Vol. 35, No. 2. "Ghana: Security Under Scrutiny,"pp. 4-6.
Africa Contemporary Record: 1988-89 Annual Survey and Documents. 1989. Marion E. Doro and Colin Legum. New York: Africana Publishing Company, pp. B48-B49.
Africa Contemporary Record: 1987-88 Annual Survey and Documents. 1988. Marion E. Doro and Colin Legum. New York: Africana Publishing Company, pp. B32-B33, B36.
Africa Contemporary Record: 1986-87 Annual Survey and Documents. 1987. Marion E. Doro and Colin Legum. New York: Africana Publishing Company, pp.B34-B35.
Amnesty International. 28 January 1992. Urgent Action. (AI Index: AFR 28/01/92)
The Ghana Drum [Gaithersburg, Md.]. December 1994, Vol. 3, No. 11. "A Legal View of the Tsikata-Independence Case," p. 15.
_____. November 1994. Vol. 3, No. 10. "Tsikata Going Blind," p. 14.
_____. November 1994. Vol. 3, No. 10. "Quarshigah on Tsikata," p. 15.
West Africa [London]. 7-13 November 1994. "Ghana: UK Court Rules Against Tsikata," p. 1912.