A.C. Kuma

Professor Alexander Cuthbert Kuma was a renowned Ghanaian lawyer, law professor, and philanthropist. He was a close confidant of Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Early Life and Education
Professor Alexander Cuthbert Kuma affectionately called ACK or Prof was born on February 24, 1927, at Kpeve in the Volta Region of Ghana to Mr. Thomas Kuma (De Gaulle) from the Nyargbogborme Clan who was a Police Officer and the Chief Linguist of the Leklebi Traditional Area. His mother was Kate Abra Akanga from the royal houses of Kpeve and Todome who was known for her sharp mind, intelligence and marketing qualities in cloth retail and others.
He started his primary education at Kpeve from Primary one to three and continued from primary three to six at Leklebi. After completing secondary school, he proceeded to Akropong Teacher Training College (Presbyterian College of Education) in 1948, and later taught at Worawora Senior School in Volta-Akan.
He went to the United Kingdom in 1952 after gaining admission to Trinity College, University of Dublin (Ireland), from there he went to University of Oxford (Oriel College) England. Here he received B.A. (Moderatorship/Honours in Philosophy); B.A (Moderatorship in Legal Science) securing double honours degree in Philosophy and Legal Science.
He also received M.A. and LLB. (Dublin) B.A. and M.A. Oriel College, Oxford.
He was a Senior Research Student in Jurisprudence at the University of Oxford and was called to the Bar at the King’s Inn in 1956.
He was awarded the Wray Prize in Philosophy in 1955; George McCutchan Prize in Philosophy, Trinity College, Dublin; and passed his Final Examinations on the Philosophy of Hegel in 1956 with the Senior Victor Prize, at the King’s Inn Bar Final Examination in 1956.
Academic and Legal Career
He returned to Ghana to teach at the Law Faculty -Legon in 1959 and was a pioneering member of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon. He was a Lecturer in Jurisprudence of Law and became a Presidential Professor of Law at the Faculty (Harvey, 2015). The late former president of Ghana, H.E. John Evans Atta Mills, and the current president (H.E. Nana Akuffo-Addo), were some of his students at the University of Ghana, Legon. Whilst a lecturer at Legon, he and Mr. Narayan from Trinidad, Mr. Kow Swanzy (who later became Attorney -General under the CPP, Mr. Fred Segbefia (of blessed memory) Mr. Amissah Aidoo (Deputy Speaker of Parliament), Mr. G.D. Ameyaw and Mr. Ofori -Attah became partners and formed the LAW CHAMBERS with offices in the TUC building. Later on, they were joined briefly by Agyeman-Bempah and Mrs. Doris Ocansey. The juniors in the chambers were Mr. J. K Agyeman and Mr. Sam Okudjeto. In 1970 the Law Chambers was dissolved and Mr. J.K Agyeman and Mr. Sam Okudjeto were left behind.
It was during this same time (Legon days) that Prof. Kuma became a member of the Think Tank of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah with Professor Abraham (Adamafio, 1982). The group was disbanded by the 24th of February 1966 Military coup, which happened to be Prof. Kuma’s birthday. All the government ministers in the group were arrested and put at Ussher Fort, and it was Prof. Kuma who defended all and sent Mr. Sam Okudjeto to the UK to become a QC (Queens Counsel), to assist in the defense of the accused ministers arrested to challenge the Jiagge Commission. It was Prof. Kuma and others who brought in Geoffrey Rippon (UK) to challenge the constitutionality of the arrest of the ministers.
He represented Ghana at the United Nations not as a permanent representative, but a plenipotentiary ambassador to the United Nations. During this time, he was a member of Law Reform Committee and Concessions Tribunal, member of Ghana’s delegation to the United Nations, Representative of Ghana on the 6th Committee of the UN, member of Ghana’s delegation to Afro-Asian Conference (Vieta, 1999). He was also a member of the Ghana Bar Association, General Legal Council, one of the founding members of Achimota Golf Club and Accra Rotary Club. He was a Life member of the Oxford Union, past Editor to the Metaphysical Society of Trinity College in Dublin, T.C.D. Association. He delivered public lectures on “Democracy and a New Outlook on International Law” at the University of Ghana, Legon.
He studied the Legal Framework of the United Kingdom, India and Ghana and would explain any historical and legal issues concerning these countries.
He was a prolific reader and handled complex cases on Maritime Law, Law of International Trade, Copyrights and Trademarks.
He was a legal advisor to the E.P. Church and would help them whenever the need arose.
Business and Philanthropic Work
He was a former Director of the Bank of Ghana; Board Member for IRANI Brothers Ltd. Board member of Danafco/Dannnex Ltd, Board member of British India/ Zenith Insurance Company and Nyaho Medical Centre.
He was Vice-Chairman of Volta Lines Ltd (with A.R. Boakye from Black Star Line fame and Mr. Puplampu - a lawyer all of blessed memory) and together they also established WACCON Lines and TSOBI Chemicals Ltd.
Prof. Kuma was the sole proprietor of Ameyi Farms, Ameyi Fisheries, Ameyi Agencies, Ameyi Cold Stores Ltd and Ameyi Chambers, where he worked until old age. He also trained many of the seasoned lawyers and judges in Ghana. Most notably, the immediate past Attorney-General of Ghana, Miss. Gloria Akuffo.

Leklebi Senior High school (LESEC) was established at his behest in 1967. He single-handedly bankrolled the school from its very beginning and paid the salaries of the teachers for eleven years. He also built a state-of-the-art science laboratory for the school, in partnership with the Indian High Commission. When the school was established, electricity was in very short supply in the Volta Region, hence, he offered to provide electricity for students to study at night, by turning on his personal generator/plant every evening to enable the students to study due to his passion for education. He was compassionate and charitable and qualities that influenced his kindness was his quest to assist any brilliant child or person to get educated. He believed so much in education that he paid school fees for relatives and numerous non-relatives to pursue primary, secondary, and tertiary education. He contributed immensely to the development of his hometown, Leklebi, Duga in the Volta Region.
He was a great family man, with 12 children and grandchildren.
Published works
Democracy and a New Outlook on International Law: A Public Lecture Delivered at the Commonwealth Hall Lecture Theatre, University of Ghana, Legon, on Friday, the 25th of May 1962.
References/Notes and references
NEW PERIODICALS The Legon Law Journal1https://openyls.law.yale.edu › bitstream › handlePDF
NEW PERIODICALS The Legon Law Journal1 - HeinOnlinehttp://heinonline.org › hol-cgi-bin › get_pdf › ylr71
Law and Social Change in Ghana
By William Burnett Harvey · 2015
The Flagbearers of Ghana:
Profiles of One Hundred Distinguished Ghanaians · Volume 1
By Kojo T. Vieta · 1999
By Nkrumah's Side
The Labour and the Wounds
By Tawia Adamafio · 1982
Democracy and a New Outlook on International Law: A Public Lecture Delivered at the Commonwealth Hall Lecture Theatre, University of Ghana, Legon, on Friday, the 25th of May 1962

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