W. Paatii Ofosu-Amaah

W. Paatii Ofosu-Amaah born William Jacob Paatii Ofosu-Amaah (13 July 1950 – 13 April 2016) was a Ghanaian lawyer, international civil servant and diplomat who served as the Vice President and Corporate Secretary of the World Bank Group from 2003 to 2007. He was the Special Advisor to the President of the African Development Bank from 2008 to 2015.

Early life and education Ofosu-Amaah was born in Accra, Ghana in 1950 to Ga-Dangme parents, Lawrence and Bernice Ofosu-Amaah. He was the youngest child in a large family.

With accelerated promotion, he finished his first four years of his primary education in 2 years.

Career Ofosu-Amaah began his legal career as an Associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York, from 1973 to 1975.

In 1978, he joined the World Bank at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., staying on for three decades and worked in areas relating to the legal dimensions of international development. He had oversight over legal frameworks and judicial reforms for more than 500 complex World Bank-financed project of the World Bank in regions such as Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East.

He was the author of many World Bank publications relating to institutional policies and operations, combating corruption, project and infrastructure finance, environment management and negotiation issues, post-conflict reconstruction, and governance and capacity building, legal and judicial reform in Africa. W. Paatii Ofosu-Amaah “Reforming Business-Related Laws to Promote Private Sector Development: The World Bank Experience in Africa” World Bank, Washington DC, 16 May 2000 Waafas Ofosu-Amaah served as the regional coordinator for African policy, at the World Bank's development office in Washington, D.C. Ofosu Amaah's siblings were Samuel, the founding Director of the School of Public Health, University of Ghana; George, former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana; May, Director at the Social Welfare Department during the PNDC years and Vincent, former Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank. W. Paatii Ofosu-Amaah was a Bob Marley aficionado and loved Ghanaian highlife music. He was a lifelong Anglican.

Death and funeral W. Patii Ofosu-Amaah died suddenly in Chevy Chase, Maryland, on 13 April 2016, aged 65. His funeral service at the Grace Episcopal Church, Silver Spring, Maryland on 26 April 2016. His remains were interred in Accra on Thursday 12 May 2016. Upon his death, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) sent a note of condolence.