Dr Ibn Chambas shares throwback photo of himself in Cornell University in 1978

 

Celebrated Ghanaian politician, lawyer, diplomat and academic Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas has shared a throwback picture of himself when he was a doctoral candidate at the top-ranked Cornell University in 1978, some 45 years ago.

The picture shared on his official Facebook page shows a lanky Ibn Chambas with his friend, Dr Mutawakil, who was studying in Germany and had paid Ibn Chambas a visit in the United States of America.

Dr Ibn Chambas, then 28 years old, was studying for a Doctorate in Political Science after having bagged his BA in Political Science from the University of Ghana and a Master’s at same Cornell University.

Born on December 7, 1950, Dr Ibn Chambas rose from relatively humble beginnings to phenomenal success as an academic, a lawyer and diplomat and mentor of many.

The former Member of Parliament(MP) for Bimbila – from January 7, 1997 to February 14, 2002 when he resigned to assume office as Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – has an indelible impact on the people of Bimbila and the country at large.

Dr Ibn Chambas attended Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast, and Government Secondary School, now Tamale Senior High School, Tamale. He proceeded to earn degrees in Political Science from University of Ghana, Legon (B.A. 1973) and Cornell University Ithaca, New York (M.A. 1977, PhD 1980). He earned a law degree from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio and was admitted to practice law in Ghana and the State of Ohio.

He has served “as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and Head of the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWAS) from 2014 to 2021.

He also was the Joint Special representative (JSR) of the African Union – United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and Joint Chief Mediator (JCM) in charge of the Darfur peace negotiations between 2013–14.

From 2010–13, he was the Secretary General of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP). Prior to his leadership of the ACP, Dr Chambas served as President of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from 2007–2010.

Dr Ibn Chambas consults for and serves as board member of several reputable international organizations.