At a hall in Adisadel College in Cape Coast in 1955, stood the 19-year-old-tall-young-brilliant Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa awaiting the a handshake and congratulatory words from Ghana’s first Prime Minister, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
He was to receive the congratulations for having collected seven prizes in Latin, Greek, Religious Knowledge, History, English Language and Geography.
A proud Dr Nkrumah shook the hands of young Afrifa and congratulated him for his brilliance.
It is alleged that Dr Nkrumah, having been awed by the academic prowess of young Afrifa sponsored his education but little did he know that the young gentleman he sought to empower, would be the one to help in the overthrow of his six-year-old government.
As fate would have it, Afrifa would, eleven (11) years later, join forces with Colonel Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka and the then Inspector-General of Police, Mr. J.W.K. Harley to overthrow Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
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Lieutenant General A.A. Afrifa after the coup led by General Kotoka consolidated his positions in both the military and the National Liberation Council (NLC) which became the government after the coup.
He later became the head of State after the assassination of General Kotoka in April 1967 during an abortive coup, and the resignation of Lt. General Joseph Ankrah in April 1969 as the head of State.