Johnson Asiedu Nketia Biography, Age, Wife

Who is Chairman General Mosquito Johnson Asiedu Nketia?

Johnson Asiedu Nketia popularly known as General Mosquito is a seasoned Ghanaian politician and the Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The affable General Mosquito Asiedu Nketia is also a professionally trained Teacher, Banker, Accountant, and Stock Broker.

He is the longest-serving General Secretary of the NDC, serving for 17 good years from 2005 to 2022.

On Saturday, December 17^th, 2022, Asiedu Nketia succeded in unseating Samuel Ofosu Ampofo to become the new Chairman of the NDC at their 10^th National Delegates Congress held at the Accra Sports Stadium.

General Mosquito won the race with 5,569 votes whilst his main competitor and former Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo had 2892 votes.

From 1992 to 2004, Mr Asiedu Nketia served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wenchi West Constituency in the Bono Region.

After serving for 3 consecutive terms of office as MP, General Mosquito decided to call it quits by not contesting the Wenchi West Constituency seat again in 2004.

Read This: John Dramani Mahama Biography: Age, Wife Lordina, Children, Education, Family

The former General Secretary of the NDC is widely admired for his great sense of humour and loved across the political divide.

According to General Mosquito, he was trained by his Uncle to become a palm wine tapper and “Akpeteshie (hot local gin)” distiller for his Uncle’s drinking bar.

Mr Asiedu Nketia was also a petty trader who traded in all kinds of goods for survival.

From 2017-2022, he also served as Vice President of the Socialist International association.

Date of Birth

General Mosquito Asiedu Nketia was born on Monday, December 24th, 1956, at Seikwa in the Bono Region (formerly Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana).

Age

The Chairman General of the NDC is currently 66 years of age and will be 67 years come December this year, 2023.

Why he changed his name from John to Johnson

Whilst at St Joseph’s College, General Mosquito had to change his Christian name, John to Johnson, because of the number of students who bore the same John name at the time and also, because he was only 17 years and the youngest among his peers.

Parents

Johnson Kwadwo Asiedu Nketiah was born to the late Nana Kwaku Asiedu — a farmer from the Oyoko Royal family — and Madam Hagar Akosua Afrah of the Akwamu Royal family.

General Mosquito Asiedu Nketia is the fifth child of nine children of his parents.

Early Life

Johnson Asiedu Nketia was born and raised in Seikwa in the Wenchi Municipal District in the Bono Region of Ghana.

Hometown

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah hails from Seikwa — a town in the Wenchi Municipal District of the then Brong Ahafo Region which is now known as Bono Region of Ghana.

Religion, Faith

Mr Asiedu Nketia is a devoted Christian and member of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.

He once served as an Elder of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.

Education

Johnson Kwadwo Asiedu Nketiah started his basic education at Seikwa Presbyterian Primary School. 

In 1974, he gained admission to St. Joseph’s College of Education in Bechem and graduated as a trainee teacher in 1978.

Whilst at St Joseph’s College, General Mosquito had no option than to change his Christian name, John to Johnson, because of the number of students who bore the same John name at the time and also, because he was only 17 years and the youngest among his peers.

Whilst he taught as a professional teacher at Seketia Presby Primary in the Jaman North District of the Bono region after completing St. Joseph’s College, Johnson Asiedu Nketia studied at home to write the GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level exams.

In 1983, Johnson Asiedu Nketia gained admission to the School of Administration — now the Business School — of the University of Ghana for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration (Banking and Finance option) and graduated with a Second Class Upper in 1986.

Read This: Tsatsu Tsikata Biography: Age, Wife, Children, Education, Parents

Whilst performing his duties at the Consultative Assembly, Mr Asiedu Nketia enrolled for a Stock Brokerage Investment Analysis course at the Ghana Stock Exchange on a part-time basis.

Upon graduation, General Mosquito Asiedu Nketia was adjudged the best student not only from his class but also for the entire period that the course was established at the Ghana Stock Exchange.

In 2019, with Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in attendance as guest of honour, Mr Asiedu Nketia graduated with a Master of Science Degree in Defense and International Politics from the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre.

General Mosquito had his thesis centred on Anti-Corruption infrastructure in the Fourth Republic of Ghana.

Wife

General Mosquito Johnson Asiedu Nketia is married to Madam Vida Adomah Nketiah.

Children

General Mosquito Johnson Aseidu Nketia and his wife Madam Vida Adomah Nketiah have 5 children.

They are Amma Addae Nketiah, Kwaku Asiedu Nketiah, Yaa Asantewaa Nketiah, Afia Afra Nketiah and Kwame Boateng Nketiah.

Work Career

Johnson Asiedu Nketia started his career as a professional teacher at Seketia Presby Primary in the Jaman North District of the Bono region.

As part of his national service, Mr Asiedu Nketia after his graduation from the University of Ghana was posted to GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited where he was assigned to the marketing department as a manager.

Read This: Jean Mensa Biography: Age, Children, Husband, Dr Charles Mensa, Hometown

He later worked as a trainee bank manager for the Nkoraman Rural Bank and Sehwi Asawinso Rural Bank.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia also worked with the National Trust Holding Company Limited (NTHC) as a stockbroker and an investment banker.

Politics

Upon the launch of the 31st December Revolution, Johnson Asiedu Nketia organised the youth in the “Seikwa” area of the Brong Ahafo Region to form the first Peoples’ Defense Committee to continue the agenda of selfless service to the community.

Asiedu Nketia was almost shot at one point when he tried mobilizing the youth to face cocoa smugglers who were colluding with the security agencies at the time.

In 1989, General Mosqito Asiedu Nketia’s political journey began in earnest when he was elected to represent the “Seikwa” area at the first Wenchi District Assembly.

As the Assemblyman of “Seikwa”, Johnson Asiedu Nketia embarked on mobilizing his people to undertake some massive developmental projects which had never been witnessed in his area before.

Read This: Sammy Gyamfi Biography, Age, Wife, Son, Hometown

The projects included the Nkoranman Secondary School project, Seikwa Health Centre, Seikwa and Dagadu Maize Markets projects, the Extension of Seikwa Palace, among others.

When Ghana decided to change to constitutional rule, General Mosquito Asiedu Nketia was elected by his people to the Consultative Assembly which drafted the 1992 constitution of Ghana and his performance at the assembly earned him the accolade, “Heavy Weight”.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia resigned his position as Bank Manager upon his election to the Consultative Assembly and was almost immediately engaged as an Investment Analyst by the National Trust Holding Company Ltd.(NTHC).

Whilst performing his duties at the Consultative Assembly representing Wenchi District Assembly, Mr Asiedu Nketia enrolled for a Stock Brokerage Investment Analysis course at the Ghana Stock Exchange on a part-time basis.

General Mosquito Asiedu Nketia, upon his graduation, was adjudged the best student not only for his class but also for the whole period since the course was established at the Ghana Stock Exchange.

Mr Asiedu Nketia became the target of other emerging stock-brokerage companies who were proposing mouth-watering conditions as a means of poaching him from NTHC.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Wenchi West Constituency

In 1992, Mr Asiedu Nketia was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wenchi West Constituency into the first parliament of the fourth republic of Ghana on 7th January 1993. This was after he was pronounced winner at the 1992 Ghanaian election held on 29th December, 1992.

Whilst in Parliament, he was nominated by the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana to be a member of the International Parliamentary Union from 1997 to 2005.

In 2004, General Mosquito decided to step down and not seek re-election as Member of Parliament (MP) for Wenchi West Constituency after successfully serving his constituency for a three-term or 12 years.

Read This: Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang Biography: Age, Children, Education

Asiedu Nketia’s decision for not contesting again as MP for the Wenchi West Constituency was to join his wife in Canada.

During his term of office as Member of Parliament (MP) for Wenchi West Constituency, General Asiedu Nketia served on several Committees, including the Appointments Committee, Finance Committee, and Public Accounts Committee.

The others are Chairman of Mines and Energy Committee, Minority spokesperson on Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs Committee, and Deputy Majority Chief Whip.

Achievements as Wenchi West Constituency MP

• Getting the Seikwa constituency to be connected to the national grid
• Construction of permanent structures of the Seikwa Market and lorry park complex
• Rehabilitation and extension of the Seikwa water supply system

Deputy Minister of Food & Agriculture

From 1997 – 2001, General Mosquito served as Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture in charge of Crops during the late President Jerry John Rawlings’ administration.

From 1992 – 2001, he also served as a member of the Economic Management Team (EMT) under the late former president J.J Rawlings’ administration that introduced the Valued Added Tax in Ghana.

During his tenure as Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Asiedu Nketia successfully implemented the following well-known policies:

• Unified Agric Extension System
• Decentralization of MOFA
• Youth in Agriculture
• High Tech Cocoa maintenance
• Introduction of improved varieties of cassava, maize and rice.

General Secretary of NDC

At the National Delegates Congress of the NDC held in December 2005, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia won almost 80% of the delegates’ votes,

The congress which was held at the Koforidua EREDEC Hotel in the Eastern Region of Ghana saw Johnson Asiedu Nketia beating the likes of Bede Ziedeng, Mr Sylvester Mensah and Mr Antwi Boasiako to become the 3rd General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, it was during General Mosquito’s tenure as General Secretary of NDC that his party wrestled power from the then governing New Patriotic Party with Mr John Agyekum Kuffour as the then President of Ghana.

Read This: Sam Nartey George Biography, Age, Wife, Children

It was the 2008 general elections which was nicknamed the “Mother of all Elections” that saw the late Professor Evans John Atta-Mills become the president of Ghana, beating competition from the then presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

In January 2010, he was re-elected as the General Secretary of the NDC with 93% votes during the party’s National Delegates Congress held in Tamale in the Northern Region.

In 2014, the NDC once again retained Asiedu Nketia as its General Secretary at the party’s National Delegates Congress.

In 2012, when the then opposition leader, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and two others decided to contest the results of the 2012 elections at the Supreme Court, Mr Asiedu Nketia represented both the NDC and former President John Dramani Mahama as principal witness to affirm the latter’s victory.

Asiedu Nketia unseats Ofosu Ampofo to become Chairman of NDC 2022

On Saturday, December 17^th, 2022, Johnson Asiedu Nketia won a landslide victory to become the Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the 10th National Delegates Congress of the NDC held at the Accra Sports Stadium.

General Mosquito polled 5,569 votes as against the then incumbent Chairman Ofosu Amponfo who had 2,892 votes.

The two other contenders of the NDC Chairmanship race, Samuel Yaw Adusei and Samuel Armah Asitey polled 52 and 38 of the valid votes cast respectively.

International politics

In 2017, General Mosquito was elected as the Vice President for Socialist International in absentia at Cartagena to succeed the former Prime Minister of Portugal and current UN General Secretary, António Guterres.

Mr Asiedu Nketia was elected to serve under the current President of the Organization, George Papandroeu, who doubles as the Prime Minister of Greece.

Net worth

Apart from his profession as a banker,  trained Teacher, Accountant, and Stock Broker, Johnson Asiedu Nkatiah has other businesses, including a cement block factory in the Bono Region of Ghana.

The Chairman general of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has a net worth of $2miilion USD.

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah Twitter

#ja_nketiah OR https://twitter.com/ja_nketiah

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah Website

#asiedunketiahdotcom OR https://asiedunketiah.com/

Source: George Awiadem Maclean, BieGyaNation.Com