Tsatsu Tsikata Biography: Age, Wife, Children, Education, Parents
Who is TsaTsu Tsikata?
Tsatsu Tsikata is an outstanding and accomplished Ghanaian lawyer and academic who is revered for his prowess in matters of law.
He is popularly referred to as “The Law Faculty” because of his eloquence, exceptional, intellectual, and bravery arguments on national and international laws.
The brianiac, Mr Tsatsu Tsikata has long been the counsel for the late former president Jerry John Rawlings, Hon. William Ofori-Atta (Paa Willie), Hon. Sammy Okudzeto, and many other important Ghanaian personalities.
Since age 4, the former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has been an asthmatic patient.
Date of Birth
Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata was born on Sunday, October 1st, 1950.
Age
The astute lawyer, Tsatsu Tsikata is currently 72 years old and will be 73 years old come October this year, 2023.
Parents
Tsatsu Tsikata was born to Mr Godwin Kwaku-Sru Tsikata (a retired Textiles Sales Manager with the United Africa Corporation (UAC)) and Mrs. Tsikata in Keta in the South of Volta Region of Ghana.
Early Life
He was brought to live as a kid at Adabraka — a suburb of Accra, the capital of Ghana —where he grew up.
Mr. Tsikata is a Christian and an elder of the Asbury Dunwell Church in Accra, Ghana.
Siblings
He has six siblings and they include: Fui Sokpoli Tsikata, Tsidi Tsikata, Egi Tsikata, Gaisie, Getsa Tsikata, Doe Tsikata, and Dr. Dotse Tsikata.
The renowned lawyer is a known asthmatic patient and this appears to have limited his extracurricular activities and school attendance as a child.
Education
The legal luminary started schooling at a very tender age simply because of his passion for education which always made him follow his elder brother, Fui Sokpoli Tsikata, to school.
Tsatsu Tsikata began his basic education at Additrom Preparatory School before joining Mrs Sam’s Preparatory School — the same school attended by the late former President of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings.
As an asthmatic patient who mostly missed school, Tsatsu was again moved to Accra Newtown Experimental School — where he was promoted from Year 2 to Year 3 because of his stellar academic performance — which made him catch up with his elder brother, Fui Sokpoli Tsikata, in the same class.
At an early age of 9, Tsatsu Tsikata won a scholarship from the United Africa Company (UAC) — where his dad worked at — to start his secondary education in 1960 at Mfantsipim Senior High School in Cape Coast — the same school attended by his father, Godwin Kwaku-Sru Tsikata; elder brother, Fui Sokpoli Tsikata; and younger brothers, Tsidi Tsikata and Dotse Tsikata.
At age 16, Tsatsu Tsikata gained admission to the University of Ghana, Legon, after completing his five-year course at Mfantsipim Senior High School.
At age 18, Tsatsu Tsikata set a new record as the youngest Ghanaian University student ever to have completed his law course and obtained Bachelor of Laws (abbreviated LL.B) First Class degree.
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It must be stated, however, that although there is another 18-year-old University student who is also said to have completed a degree program at the time but we, BieGyaNation.Com, cannot say for a fact that he also had First Class Degree as Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata.
Tsatsu then won a post-graduate scholarship from the University of Ghana to pursue masters in law at the world-class Oxford University in England in the United Kingdom where he again, obtained first class honours in Bachelor of Civil Law in 1971 — which is equivalent to a master’s degree at other British universities.
Mr Tsatsu’s lecturers included Professor Ofosu Amaah and Dr. Obed Asamoah — a former foreign minister and Attorney General of Ghana.
Wife Esther Cobbah
Mr Tsatsu Tsikata is legally and happily married to a strong Ghanaian gender activist and communication expert, Madam Esther Amba Numaba Cobbah — former CEO and Lead Communication Strategist at STRATCOM.
She has been voted onto the Board of the globally respected International Public Relations Association to serve a two-year term.
Mr Tsatsu and his wife tied the knot on December 18th, 2001, at a private ceremony officiated by Rev. Dr Immanuel Asante at the Trinity Theological Seminary at Legon.
Son
Tsatsu Tsikata is blessed with 3 children with Ghanaian rapper, singer, and songwriter, Manifest being the popular one amongst them.
Tsatsu’s daughter, Sena Tsikata is also another well known actress who played the role of Marcia (Max’s brother) in the once popular TV series in Ghana titled, “Things We Do For Love”.
Tsatsu Tsikata has, on some few occasions, admitted publicly that he wished he was talented as his son M.anisfest in the area of music.
Career
Before Mr Tsikata relocated to Ghana, he rose to the position of Junior Research Fellowship at Oxford University serving as a tutor.
Upon his return to Ghana in 1974, he was appointed a law lecturer at the law faculty of the University of Ghana, Legon, where he lectured from October 1972 to 1988.
Some of the students he taught include: Ben Kunbour, Doe Adjaho, Effah-Dartey, Kwamena Ahwoi, Alban Bagbin (former majority leader and the current speaker of the 8th parliament of Ghana), Freddie Blay, former first deputy speaker of Parliament and chairman of the New patriotic Party (NPP), among others.
From October 1988 to December 2000, Mr Tsatsu Tsikata served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) during the then ruling NDC administration led by the late former president Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings.
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In what became known as the most intensive period of oil and gas exploration in the history of Ghana, Mr Tsatsu, during his time, led promotional efforts of the Corporation to attract a significant number of international oil companies which entered into joint ventures with GNPC to undertake exploration in Ghana Offshore as well as onshore.
Mr Tsatsu was also involved in initiating regional co-operation projects such as West African Gas Pipeline project (which comprised Chevron as managing sponsor, Shell, Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., GNPC, Sobegaz of Benin and Sotogaz of Togo).
Tsatsu Tsikata was onetime an adviser to the oil and gas Ministry of Equatorial Guinea, particularly in the establishment of the national oil company, Gepetrol.
He also provided advisory services through the UN Centre for Transnational Corporations to the Government of Benin in respect of their Seme oil field and the development of their oil industry.
He has advised oil and gas companies operating in many parts of the world.
He was involved in a case that saw the release of over 500 Ghanaians detained in various prisons in the country for long periods without trial
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo teams up with Tsatsu Tsikata to win case
On September 23rd, 1980, then 36-year-old lawyer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo joined by his good friend Dr Prempeh (whose chambers popularly became known as “Akufo-Addo Prempeh and co”) teamed up with Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata — then 30 years old — and other young lawyers including J. Glover and Mrs Reindorf to represent Dr Kwame Amoako Tuffour, then a lecturer in civil engineering at the University of Science and Technology (as it was known then) in the case: TUFFUOR v. ATTORNEY-GENERAL [1980] GLR 637.
The case was that, Justice Fred Apaloo, who was the head of the Judiciary prior to the coming into force of the 1979 constitution, was nominated as Chief Justice when it took off.
When he (Fred Apaloo) was vetted and rejected by Parliament at the time, Dr Kwame Amoako Tuffuor assembled the legal team led by Nana Akufo-Addo to sue the Speaker of Parliament and Attorney General (Mr Joe Reindorf) at the Court of Appeal then sitting as the Supreme Court.
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Nana Akufo-Addo and his team of lawyers argued that upon the coming into force of the constitution, Justice Apaloo had been deemed to have been appointed as Chief Justice and a member of the Supreme Court.
The purported vetting and rejection he (Nana Addo) argued was therefore unconstitutional.
In the end, the Court agreed with Nana Akufo-Addo and his team of lawyers, including Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata that it had jurisdiction and that plaintiff had capacity but discharged the Speaker of Parliament as a defendant. The court further held that Justice Apaloo was deemed to have been head of the Judiciary once the new constitution came into force rendering his vetting and rejection invalid.
Tsatsu Tsikata serves as legal counsel for JJ Rawlings, John Dramani Mahama
From 1979, Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata has been the legal counsel for a number of important personalities in Ghana over the years.
The notable ones include Captain Kojo Tsikata (Tsatsu’s cousin and former national security minister), and the late famous Ghanaian poet, Kofi Awoonor (born George Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor — 13 March 1935 to 21 September 2013).
Lawyer Tsatsu also defended Samuel Okudjeto and William Ofori Atta aka “Paa Willie” (one of the “Big Six” who founded Ghana) who were detained and stood trial for political reasons during the era of the National Redemption Council/Supreme Military Council military regimes of Acheampong.
After the May 15 Uprising in 1979, he was counsel for the late former president Jerry John Rawlings during the treason trial that came to an abrupt end when the SMC military government led by Lieutenant General Frederick William “Fred” Kwasi Akuffo was overthrown on Monday, June 4th, 1979.
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Tsatsu Tsikata also served as the lead Counsel for the then ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration led by former President John Dramani Mahama during the famous 2012 Election Petition filed by then presidential candidate of NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and others in Ghana.
In the 2020 Election Petition, Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata again served as the lead counsel for the petitioner, former president John Dramani Mahama.
Trial, Conviction, Jail
In 2002, proceedings started for the trial of Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata by an Accra Fast Track High Court — set by former President John Agyekum Kufuor — for wilfully causing financial loss of GH¢230,000 (2.3 billion Old Cedis then) to the state and misapplying public property through a loan he (Tsatsu), on behalf of GNPC, guaranteed for Valley Farms, a private company.
On Wednesday, June 18th, 2008, Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata was pronounced guilty and jailed 5 years by Justice Mrs. Hernrietta Abban in a trial that lasted for six years (from 2002-2008) — which is reputed to be the longest trial ever involving a former government official in the history of Ghana.
As a result, sympathizers of Lawyer Tsatsu formed what became known as “Free Tsatsu Movement”.
Tsatsu Tsikata Rejects President JA Kuffour’s Presidential Pardon
Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata was eventually granted an unconditional pardon by the then President, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor on his last day in office after his party — the New Patriotic Party (NPP) — had lost the Ghana presidential election in 2008.
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Tsatsu Tsikata — who was at the time on admission at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital under prison guard following a severe bout of asthma — rejected the presidential pardon.
After he was granted bail by Justice Edward Amoako Asante at an Accra Fast-Track high court on January 13th, 2009, pending his appeal, Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata later announced at a forum that he felt the pardon was not in good faith and that he would fight through the court system to clear his name.
On Wednesday November 30th, 2016, a 3-member panel at the Court of Appeal in Accra unanimously declared Mr Tsatsu Tsikata free and innocent after 8 years of being charged for willfully causing financial loss to the state, quashing his 5-year jail term. Tsatsu Tsikata was, therefore, acquitted and discharged of all charges.
Net Worth
The former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Lawyer, Tsatsu Tsikata has an estimated net worth of $20,000,000 USD
Sports
In terms of sporting activities, Mr Tsatsu Tsikata is a lover of Cricket and has in the past been a keen cricketer.
Source: George Awiadem Maclean | BieGyaNation.Com
