All to know about Adisadel College: Notable alumni, history, achievements, etc

• Posted on June 29, 2016
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

History

Adisadel was established in 1910 in a building at Topp Yard, near Christ Church and Cape Coast Castle. It began with 29 boys, but in 1935 it had about 200. The school buildings were extended in 1950 by Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew.^[1] At the time of the Golden Jubilee in 1960, enrolment had gone up to 545. When the school celebrated its centenary in 2010 there were over 1500 boys (all boarders) and 93 teachers.

The school’s Founder was Temple Hamlyn, Anglican Bishop of Accra. His purpose was to provide a grammar school for sons of Anglican parents, in particular a training ground for Church personnel.

The School is the second-oldest secondary school in Ghana, and claims to be one of the most famous institutions of learning in sub-Saharan Africa.^[2] The first secondary school to be established in Ghana was Mfantsipim School, also in Cape Coast, which was founded by the Methodist Church in 1876. It currently has 10 – (12)houses, the most recent being Thomas Jonah House, built in 1997.

Adisadel College was the first secondary school in the history of Ghana to have its prefects don special cloaks, red for the head prefects, blue for the other prefects and green for the assistants.^[2]

Uniform

The uniform of the school is black and white shirt on black shorts. It is commonly referred to as “zebra” due to its resemblance to the skin of the zebra.

Residence

The school has ten houses: Hamlyn, Quaque, Elliott, Canterbury, Knight, Aglionby, Ebiradze, Jubilee, Thomas Jonah, and Le Maire. The school has two parts: one lies on a hill and one below and these are linked by a staircase (Katanga Stairs) made up of 83 steps. The school on the hill is called Leopoldville and is commonly called by the students as The Upper School. It accommodates four houses: Hamlyn, Elliott, Canterbury and Knight. And also the White house where the Head Prefect and the Chapel Prefect reside. It is also where the school’s dining hall, assembly hall known as Canterbury Hall, the chapel, classroom blocks, the headmaster’s residence and the administration buildings stand. The lower part of the school is called Katanga or Lower School by students. This is where the other six remaining houses are. The sports stadium which includes a soccer field is situated there alongside two other soccer fields.

Headmasters of Adisadel College

Sports

^[3] Adisadel College has been sports power since colonial days to the present. Adisadel encourages all of its students to participate in some kind of sporting activity. Most students engage in recreational or competitive sports to eschew the label “Waste Pipe”- a campus vernacular that is used to refer to an able-body who does not participate in sports. Conforming to the Latin adage – “A healthy mind in a healthy body”, the school organizes competitive intramural sports. Early morning jogging by the entire residents of a dormitory is a common activity on campus. Cricket, basketball, hockey, gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, track and field, tennis and table tennis are some of the sports on campus.

Basketball

With victories over teams from Ghana Navy, University of Cape Coast, St. Johns School, the school dominated the sports in the seventies with players like Daniel Prempeh (Knight House), Angus Ola (Canterbury), Isaac Neizer (Canterbury), Ebenezer Ofori Ahwireng (knight), Laryea (Quaque) and Afful (Knight), Marlon Bilson (Knight). The sport suffered when the Drury Gymnasium was temporarily converted into a dining hall during the rebuilding of the current dining hall. Currently the school is rebuilding a team which was quite successful in many friendlies they played.

Soccer

The only school in Ghana with three soccer fields, Adisadel has developed soccer to a highly competitive level. More students participate in this sport than any other. In the early seventies, Adisadel students like Sam Amporful (1973) played for Cape Coast Vipers. Baffour Gyan,a striker of the national team, the Black Stars, is also an old boy and was in Hamlyn house. En route to becoming the Zonal Champions, Adisadel beat Ghana National College on penalty kicks. Ibrahim Ayew, a past student and son of Legend Abedi Ayew ‘Pele’ was a member of the college soccer team during the years of 2002-2004. He now plays for Kumasi Asante Kotoko as a defensive midfielder. Rahim, as he is popularly known by his colleagues, was part of the Ghanaian squad that chalked the silver medal in the CAN 2010 Angola, losing to Egypt in the final. Samuel Appiah, currently in the MLS in the USA, plays for the Houston Dynamo. He played together with Rahim Ayew. He was the school captain and sports prefect. From Adisadel, he played for the University of Ghana soccer team and had a scholarship to Boston University where he played all their games and was the captain.

Track and Field

Adisadel College’s continued dominance in track and field can be traced to the late forties. The school continues to produce sprinters of national and internal caliber. Since H.O Nyarku of Adisadel represented Ghana (then Gold Coast) in 1952 Olympics Games in Helsinki, the school has produced several national sprinters like George Enchill (Sakinah), Yaw Atuahene (USA), Kofi Osei (Sasta) and Perry Ofori-Baffoe (Nguji). In 1997 Perry won 5-track events (100m, 200m, 400m, 4×100 and 4×400) setting a new 100m record, and representing Ghana at the National Junior Games in Edmonton, Canada.

Rivalry

There is an ongoing rivalry between the school and Mfantsipim School which has brought about the Mfantsipim-Adisadel Fun Day Games. At Mfanstipim’s 1976 centenary celebration – after acknowledging all the high profile guests of honour, the head prefect of the school continued by saying “Ladies and Gentlemen…The Adisadel Problem still exists”! That year Adisadel beat Mfanstipim at the Inter-Colleges (Inter-Co) Track and Field competition held on the grounds of Mfanstipim. One good thing about this rivalry is that it is healthy and it has produced some of the finest gentlemen Ghana has produced in all endeavours.

Alliance

An ongoing alliance with Mfanstiman girls Secondary School,Holy Child,Wesely Girls,Aburi Girls,Roses and St Monica’s Girls Secondary School.

Publications

• Adisadel On The Hill: The History (1910–2010) – by John Samuel Pobee, Vicar General of the Anglican Diocese of Accra. This book was published and launched in March 2010 to coincide with the school’s centenary anniversary. In the words of the author it was written to meet the aspirations and expectations of all year groups and also serve as an instrument to galvanize all old boys of the school, commonly known as Santaclausians, to support the school.
• The Owl is a monthly newsletter for students and alumni of Adisadel College that is brilliantly put together by Wilson Tagoe (Knight House – 1957) and Joe Opare (Jubilee – 1981).
• Reminiscences of Adisadel – A short historical sketch of ADISADEL COLLEGE published in 1980, by G. McLean Amissah.^[4]

Notable alumni

In March 2005, when Adisadel College recounted her achievements and contributions to national development during the 96th Speech and Prize-Giving Day Celebration, it became amply evident that, of the three arms of government in Ghana, two of them were headed by Adisadel products-Santaclausians

• Judiciary-Chief Justice George Kingsley Acquah, Chief Justice Edward Kwame Wiredu, Chief Justice Philip Archer, JSC Charles Hayfron-Benjamin
• Legislature- Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi-Hughes, Freddie Blay
• The third arm, Executive, became part of Adisadel exploits when His Excellency, John Agyekum Kufuor, President of the Republic of Ghana graciously had the Honorary Santaclausian status conferred on him in his role as the Special Guest of Honour by the then Board Chairman, Hero Bhavnani.
• In keeping with tradition, Alhaji Aliu Mahama was similarly decorated with the Honorary Santaclausian badge by the Board Chairman, Solomon Abam Quartey. The Vice-President accepted an invitation from the 1983 year group of Santaclausians who were the main sponsors of the 98th Speech and Prize-Giving day Celebration (twenty five years after leaving school) to be a member of their year group.^[5]
• Sam E Jonah KBE, Executive Chairman of Jonah Capital; previously President of AngloGold Ashanti
• Alan Kyeremanteng, Aspiring NPP Presidential Candidate, Ghana.
• Ave Kludze, a Rocket Scientist, Senior NASA Engineer and first African to fly (command and control) a spacecraft in orbit including the ERBS and TRMM spacecrafts for NASA.
• Captain James Hackman Tachie-Menson, First Black African Ship’s Captain & First African South of the Sahara to man a ship across the Atlantic Ocean; Former Managing Director of Black Star Line (Ghana’s National Shipping Line); Former Vice-President of Crown Cruise Line; Renowned Musician and Composer, whose notable musical compositions, such as “Where is our God?”, “Afrenhyia-Pa”, and “The New Born Prince of Peace” are frequently sung by choirs and churches throughout Ghana and the United States.
• Kojo Frans, Chief Executive Officer and President of Next Generation Broadcasting (NGB), Sweden
• Nii Narku Quaynor, Network Computer Systems
• George Kingsley Acquah, was the twenty-third (23rd ) Chief Justice  of the Supreme Court of Ghana.
• Lieutenant General Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa, head of state of Ghana and leader of the military government in 1969
• Adu Gyamfi, former president of Ghana Medical Association
• A. S. Aryeetey, first provost of the College of Health sciences, University of Ghana, former dean of University of Ghana Medical School.
• Ernest Bediako, CEO of Ernest Chemists, one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Ghana
• Prince Kofi Amoabeng, CEO of UNIQUE TRUST, one of the fastest growing financial institutions in the country
• Ebenezer Sakyi Hughes, Former Speaker of Ghana’s parliament
• J. E. O. Pobee, Professor of Medicine, University of Ghana Medical School
• Baah-Nuako, Professor of Economics, University of Ghana
• Kofi Frimpong, First host on the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) programme WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
• C.K.B. Tachie-Menson, turned 90years (April 2011) – Oldest living Santaclausian. Born in 1921 he was at Adisadel between 1933-1940. Currently, President of the Old Boys Association in Cape Coast.
• Kwame Atta Acheampong, Managing Director of Attachy Constructions Company Ltd and Vice President Of Contractors Association Of Ghana
• A.K Amponsah, popularly known as Agya Koo Nimo – a Ghanaian folklorist and recording artist.
• Thomas O. Mensah,Elected Fellow US National Academy of Inventors, 2014, Fiber Optics Inventor and Innovator, Adisadel Jazz Band Alto Saxophonist, First and only black person to receive 7 US Patents in Fiber Optics in Six Years, Chairman Lightwave and Wireless Inc, AT&T Bell Laboratories, Winner Percy Julian Award, Fellow AIChE,(Chemical Engineering), Associate Fellow AIAA,(Aeronautical Engineering), Resident -Knight House, Tom Owusu Mensah served as Entertainment Prefect, 1970, Won National French Competition for Adisadel College in 1968 and 1970. Edited 2 Engineering Books; Fiber Optics Engineering (1987), Superconductor Engineering (1992). Leading Expert in Nanotechnology. Member MIT Visiting Committee in Chemical Engineering,(1988-1992). Author of the Book “The Right Stuff” Comes in Black,Too:Found at www.Bookwhirl.com,Hard Cover, or www.Amazon.com, Paper back, and eBook on Kindle.
• Ayesu Opare-Addo, Director of Suntrust Ltd. (Aglionby House)

Modern Top Science Students of Excellence

• Dr. Charles Hayfron Benjamin, graduated in 1999. He obtained 1st class upper in Medical sciences at the University of Ghana, Legon.–2005. He also obtained Bachelor of medicine & bachelor of surgery at the University of Ghana Medical School, Korle-bu, Ghana -2008

During his stay at Adisadel College, he won 8 academic prizes in SS1 (1st in chemistry, 1st in Elective maths, 1st in physics, 1st in Biology, 1st in core science, Awotwi maths prize, Ackah-Hagan Award (The most disciplined & academic student), 1 other academic prize), 6 academic prizes in SS2 (1st in chemistry, 1st in Biology, 1st in Elective maths, 1st in core science, and 2 other academic prizes, and 5 academic prizes) in SS3 (1st in chemistry, 1st in physics, 2nd in Biology, 1st in core science & fishers math prize).

He co-represented Adisadel College at the National Science & Math quiz Competition 1999. As a science student, he obtained the highest grade in O’level exams in the school. He also had the highest grade in core science in central region(O’level exams).

• Dr. Jude Opoku-Agyeman, graduated in 2000. He won many academic awards in Adisadel college. Represented Adisadel College in the National Science and Maths Quiz, BSc, Biology, Idaho State, Medicine.USA, Recipient of Student Doctor of the year award during medical school. Surgery residency USA.
• Dr. Andrew Kemetse, graduated in 2000. Medicine. Ghana
• Ralph Twum, graduated in 1998. PhD Mathematics. USA
• George Appiah, graduated in 2000. BSc Computer Science, M.S. Cybersecurity, MBA USA.
• Samuel Young Annan, graduated in 2003. Acturial Sciences USA
• Frederick Teye graduated 1996. B.Sc, Chemical Engineering. USA. Represented Adisadel College in National Science & Maths Quiz, 2X Recipient of the Fishers Math Prize (1995 & 1996)
• Jojo Amonoo Anamua graduated 1997. B.Sc, Mechanical Engineering. Ghana
• Arnold Lord Acquaye graduated 1997. B.Sc, Electrical/Electronic Engineering.KNUST, MSc Modern Digital & Radio Frequency Wireless Communication, LEEDS UNIVERSITY, UK, Telecom Consultant, USA
• James Malm, graduated in 1997. Represented Adisadel College in National Science & Maths Quiz, B.Sc, Electrical Engineering KNUST, M.S. Operations Management, PhD Finance, Recipient of the Fishers Math Prize (1997)
• Fredrick Owusu Nimoh,Graduated in 1998. Engineering. Ghana
• John Swatson, graduated in 2003. Petroleum Engineering. Ghana
• Lloyd Owusu-Asante, graduated in 2005. Represented Adisadel College in National Science & Maths Quiz,Represented University of Ghana in Zain Africa Challenge Competition winning the best player for the quarter-final contest between the University of Ghana and Makerere University, Uganda
• Scoon Boakye Appiah, Awarded 2003 Fisher’s maths prize. Business man
• Kwesi Parry Apponsah, graduated in 2003. BSc. Aerospace Engineering, Ghana. MASc. Aerospace Engineering, University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS). PhD Student Aerospace Engineering, (UTIAS)
• Bernard Nene Buetey Lemawu graduated 2000. B.Sc, Electrical Engineering. Ghana, MBA, GIMPA
• Augustus Obeng Asiedu, graduated in 2003. Bsc. Economics. Ghana., Head Of Operations at ILG Interline Freight Luftfracht GmBH
• Kwame Osei Ntiamoah, graduated in 2003. BSc Agric Engineering, KNUST, Business man. Chosen by Gayers Magazine as one of the 30 Business men under 30 to watch
• Ernest Numuah Assowah, graduated in 2003. BSc Chemical Engineering, KNUST, Mphil Minerals Engineering,UMaT, represented Adisadel college in the 2003 National Science and Maths Quiz, a metallallurgist at Endeavour mining cooperation
• Edwin Okoe Solomon, graduated in 2003. BSc Computer Science
• Michael Abedi .graduated 1997.BED(Mathematics),UCC,MBA

-Wikipedia