Erasmus Ransford Tawiah Madjitey

Erasmus Ransford Tawiah Madjitey, (11 November 1920 – 23 February 1996) was a Ghanaian police officer, diplomat and politician. He was appointed Police Commissioner in the Dominion of Ghana (now Ghana) on 9 October 1959, making him not only the first Ghanaian to head the Ghana Police Service, but also the first African south of the Sahara and in the British Commonwealth to command a police force.

Early life

E.R.T. Madjitey was born on 11 November 1920 at Aframase, in the Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. His father was a local chief, Asafoatse Madjitey I and his mother was one of his four wives, Madam Ogbeko Madjitey. He was the fifth of seven children. E.R.T. Madjitey started his education at Obenyemi, where he lived with his uncle Mr. J. A. Okumador. He had his basic education at Presbyterian Junior School at Odumase-Krobo, and Presbyterian Senior Boys Secondary School at Bana Hill. He had his secondary education at Mfantsipim School and completed in 1940. He then continued to Achimota College, the predecessor of the University of Ghana, where he excelled with an 'Inter BA'. He married Miss Vera Scales in 1949.

Police career

E.R.T. Madjitey taught Mathematics and Latin at Accra Academy briefly before joining the Gold Coast Police Force in 1944 as one of its first Ghanaian college graduates. He rose to become Deputy Commissioner of Police in March 1958. On 9 October 1958, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the Prime Minister of Ghana appointed him the Commissioner of Police, replacing Arthur Lewin Alexander, the last British citizen to occupy that position; making him not only the first Ghanaian to head the Ghana Police Force, but also the first African south of the Sahara and in the entire British Commonwealth to command a police force. In January 1964, due to an assassination attempt by a police constable Seth Ametewe on Kwame Nkrumah, ERT Madjitey and the top six officers in the police administration were removed from office. Madjitey was later detained, for reasons not established to date, Under the Preventive Detention Act by the CPP government. He was then replaced by John Willie Kofi Harlley.

Politics

The CPP's overthrow on 24 February 1966, led to his release from detention by the National Liberation Council. He was appointed Ghana's High Commissioner to Pakistan later that year. He left the diplomatic service in 1969 and returned to Ghana and entered politics.

He was a victorious candidate of Dr. Komla Gbedemah's National Alliance of Liberals for the 1969 elections, making him the Member of Parliament for the Lower Manya Krobo constituency from 1969 until parliament was suspended and political parties banned in 1972 after the army under Colonel Acheampong overthrew the government of Ghana's Second Republic. He also served on the Council of State between 1970 and 1972.