Profile of Former President Prof. John Evans Atta Mills
Professor John Evans Atta Mills was born on July 21st, 1944, at Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana and hails from Ekumfi Otuam in the Mfantsiman East Constituency of the Central Region.
Mills was born on 21 July 1944 in Tarkwa, in the Western Region of Ghana. A member of the Fante ethnic group, he hailed from the town of Ekumfi Otuam in the Mfantsiman East constituency of the Central Region of Ghana. He had his primary and middle school education at Huni Valley Methodist Primary School and Komenda Methodist Middle School respectively. He then proceeded to the prestigious Achimota School for his secondary education, where he completed the Ordinary and Advanced-Level Certificates in 1961 and 1963 respectively, and the University of Ghana, Legon, where he completed a bachelor of law degree, LLB and a professional law certificate in 1967.
Mills studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science where he obtained an LLM in 1968 and earned a PhD in Law at the Law School of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London part of the federal University of London after completing his doctoral thesis in the field of taxation and economic development in 1971 at the age of 27. Even during his career in politics, he was sometimes called by the nickname The Prof, a reference to his long academic career. His political supporters also called him Asomdweehene meaning ‘King of Peace’ in the Akan language.
As you know Prof. John Evans Atta Mills launched a lifelong interest in acquiring knowledge at Achimota Secondary School, where he obtained his General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level in 1963. To further his education, he attended the University of Ghana, Legon, where he received a bachelor’s degree and professional certificate in Law (1967). While earning a PhD in Law from the prestigious School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, John Evans Atta Mills was selected as a Fulbright scholar at the equally prestigious Stanford Law School in the United States of America. At age 27, he was awarded his PhD after successfully defending his doctoral thesis in the area of taxation and economic development. Prof. Mills’ first formal teaching assignment was as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, Legon where he spent close to twenty five years imparting knowledge (as well as other institutions of higher learning) rising from lecturer to senior lecturer then to associate professor.
His contribution to intellectual development is remarkable having served on numerous boards and committees. During the almost 30 years of teaching and researching Prof. Mills served as a visiting lecturer and professor at a number of educational institutions worldwide and presented research papers at symposiums and conferences throughout the world. Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills, the Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2008 General Elections, is a man of high integrity, humble, a liberal minded person who consults and peace is his watch-word. He is known in Ghana as “Asomdweehene” which literally means the “King of Peace”. He is an academician, sportsman and an astute politician. John Evans Atta Mills is the only person who has ran for President on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for three consecutive times in the history of the Party.
He won the Presidency on the third attempt in the 2008 general elections. (December 7 th & 28 th 2008 and January 2 nd 2009 -28 th December,2008 and January 2 nd 2009 elections were Presidential run-offs) Publications Professor Mills who campaigned on “CHANGE” during the 2008 elections has more than a dozen publications to his credit. These include: Taxation of Periodical or Deferred Payments arising from the Sale of Fixed Capital (1974), Exemption of Dividends from Income taxation: A critical Appraisal (1977), Report of the Tax Review Commission, Ghana, parts 1,2&3, (1977) and Ghana’s Income Tax laws and the Investor. (An inter-faculty lecture published by the University of Ghana). His expertise goes well beyond the classroom, and is evidenced by the various examiner positions he held with finance related institutions throughout Ghana (i.e. Institute of Chartered Accountants, Institute of Bankers, Ghana Tax Review Commission).
As an advocate for recreation and an active sportsman and sports fan, Professor Mills has supported the academic community and the nation at large through his contribution to the Ghana Hockey Association, National Sports Council of Ghana, and Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club. The Law Professor loves sports and he is a keen hockey player and once played for the national team and is still member of the Veterans Hockey Team He equally keeps his body in shape by swimming, spending close to two hours every day when he has time. The following are a few of his activities and projects:
Member of the Ghana Stock Exchange Council
Board of Trustees, Mines Trust
Management Committee Member of, Commonwealth Administration of Tax Experts, United Nations Ad Hoc Group of Experts in International Cooperation in Tax Matters, and United Nations Law and Population Project
A Study on Equipment Leasing in Ghana
Casebook preparation on Ghana’s Income Tax Review of Ghana’s Double Tax Agreement with the U.K
A track record of financial knowledge and strong professional credentials led to several important appointments:
In 1988, John Evans Atta Mills became the acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service of Ghana and named Commissioner in September 1996.
In 1997, Prof. Mills received another important appointment when on January 7, 1997, he was sworn-in as the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana.
In 2002, Prof. Mills was a visiting scholar at the Liu Centre for the Study of Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Canada.
In 2000, Mills became the NDC’s candidate for the 2000 presidential election after Rawlings had served his constitutionally mandated terms as president. The main rival for Mills’ own bid for the presidency was John Agyekum Kufuor, who was running as the candidate for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). In the heat of the 2000 presidential campaign, Mills was roundly criticized for statements that if elected he would consult with Rawlings daily. In the first round, held on 7 December 2000, Mills gained 44.8% of the vote, Kufuor won the first round with 48.4%, thus forcing a second round. On 28 December 2000, Kufuor defeated Mills with 56.9% of the vote and was sworn in as president on 7 January 2001.
In December 2002, Mills was elected by his party to be its flag bearer and lead them into the 2004 election. He was, however, defeated again by incumbent president John Agyekum Kufuor, who received 52.45% of the vote on the first ballot.
On 21 December 2006, he became the NDC’s candidate for the 2008 presidential election, winning his party’s ticket by an 81.4% result (1,362 votes), far ahead of his opponents, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, and Eddie Annan. In the 2008 election, John Agyekum Kufuor was no longer eligible to run as president, having served two terms. It was during this time that the term Better Ghana Agenda was coined. During the 2008 elections, in an attempt to change the public perception at the time that he would be a political lackey of his former mentor, Jerry Rawlings when elected, he distanced himself from his previous comments made in the 2000 campaign.
Mills’ main opponent from the New Patriotic Party was now Nana Akufo-Addo. Mills ran under the campaign slogan of “A Better Man for a Better Ghana,” on a platform of change. He said: “People are complaining. They’re saying that their standard of living has deteriorated these past eight years. So if Ghana is a model of growth, it’s not translating into something people can feel. The result of the first ballot had Akufo-Addo in front with 49.13% of the vote to Mills’ 47.92%, however, a run-off second round of voting was needed. The second round of voting took place on 28 December 2008. The result was a slim lead held by Mills, but due to problems with the distribution of ballots, the Tain constituency, located in the Brong-Ahafo Region, was forced to vote again on 2 January 2009. The final result was a victory by Mills with 50.23% of the vote to Akufo-Addo’s 49.77%. Mills became the third president of the 4th Republic of Ghana. Self-described as a social democrat who believed in the concept of social welfare espoused by Kwame Nkrumah (independent Ghana’s first leader), Mills embraced a political platform that was more comprehensive and less divisive than that of either Nkrumah or Rawlings. His persistence and determination paid off when he won the 2008 presidential poll.
January 3rd 2009-Professor Mills declared President-Elect in the 2008 elections. He had 4,521,032 votes representing 50.32 percent beating his rival Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who had 4,480,446 votes representing 49.77 percent
January 7th, 2009 Professor Mills sworn in as the Third President of the Republic of Ghana.
He is married to Ernestina Naadu Mills, an educationist, and has a son, Sam Kofi Atta Mills.