Daasebre (Dr.) Oti-Boateng

Daasebre Oti Boateng, known in private life as Dr. Emmanuel Oti Boateng was enstooled as the Omanhene of New Juabeng Traditional Area on October 26th, 1992.

He had his basic education at the Juaben Methodist School where he obtained the Middle School Leaving Certificate with distinction (As) in all the subjects in 1954.

He attended Konongo Odumasi Secondary School where he obtained a first division 'O' level West African School Certificate awarded by the University of Cambridge in 1959. He continued his education at Prempreh College where he was awarded the University of London General Certificate of Education 'A' Level with distinction and also won a nationwide Essay Competition on "The advantages and disadvantages of the Volta River Project" organized and published by the Ashanti Pioneers in 1961.

Daasebre Dr. Oti Boateng obtained his B.Sc. Honors in Economics from the University of Ghana, his M.Sc. in Statistics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and his Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.

His varied work experience began with the Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1963 and with the Boston Edison Company in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America in 1966. At Boston Edison Company, he was assigned the responsibility of making a Statistical Analysis of Boston Edison's Economic Progress relative to the US national economy for the 11 years inclusive from 1955 through 1965.

He worked with the University of Ghana for 14 years (1969-1982). First as a Research Fellow and later as a Senior Research Fellow and Director of studies at the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research.

He has been the Government Statistician since 1982 and has had an extensive consulting experience with various international agencies such as the World Bank, The World Health Organization, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), United Nations Population Fund, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), International Labor Office and United Kingdom Department for International Development.

Daasebre is very active in Public and International affairs and belongs to many professional societies.

He was elected Chairman of the United Nations Statistical Commission from 1987 to 1989 and has been a Member of the Bureau of the Commission.

By his election, Ghana became the first African country to be elected to the Chair of the United Statistical Commission.

He is a past Vice President of the International Statistical Institute, a worldwide professional body of eminent Statisticians established over a century ago.

Daasebre is also a Member of the International Association of official Statisticians, a Member of the International Association for Statistical Education, a Member of the African Statistical Association and a Fellow of the Ghana Statistical Association.

He successfully conducted the 1984 Population Census of Ghana during a period of severe economic difficulties.

He has also co-ordinated and supervised the production of over 320 of the Statistical publications of the Statistical Service since he became the Government Statistician.

As a Member of the 1979 Ghana Constituent Assembly, he successfully introduced an amendment in the Constitution for the establishment of an autonomous Statistical Service in Ghana.

Daasebre was a member of the Review Group of the United Nations Statistical Commission to carry out a general review of the structure and operation of the global statistical system from September 1991 to June 1992.

In October 1991, he worked with the French "Institut national de la Statistisque et des Etudes Economiques' (INSEE) in Paris under a special program (sponsored by the UNDP) to study the statistical system of France.

Daasebre Oti Boateng is among the distinguished personalities to whom the very first edition of the International Leaders in Achievement' published by the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England, in 1988 dedicated for his "outstanding contribution as a Statistician". In June 1997, Daasebre was appointed Deputy Director General of the International Biographical Centre.

On the occasion of the Adae Kese held in Kumasi on February 17, 1991 he was a recipient of the "Asanteman Award" in recognition of his outstanding contribution towards the welfare of the people and development of Asanteman in particular and Ghana in general.

In January 1993, Daasebre Oti Boateng was elected Chairman of the 15th International Conference of Labor Statisticians in Geneva, Switzerland. By this achievement, he became the first African to assume the Chairmanship of the International Conference of labor Statisticians since it was established in 1923.

On April 2, 1993, Daasebre was appointed a Member of the Advisory Committee on Post Adjustment Questions (ACPAQ) of the International Civil Service Commission, a position that he still holds.

In this capacity, Daasebre is among a small group of specialists who give technical advice to the United Nations and other international organizations on matters relating to post adjustment and restoration of purchasing power parity among international civil servants working in different locations throughout the world.

In 1996, he was one of the population experts invited by the United Nations to prepare a revised "Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses" for the 2000 round of censuses in the world.

Daasebre served as a Member of the Council of State during the constitutional rule of the fourth Republic of Ghana from 1993 to 1997. He is a member of the National Population Council and the National Development Planning Commission.

Credit: GhanaClassifieds