Ben Ephson

Last updated

Ben Ephson
Born
Benjamin Emmanuel Ephson Jnr

(1957-10-17) 17 October 1957 (age 66)
Accra
Education
OccupationJournalist
Notable credits
Website www.benephson.com

Benjamin Emmanuel Ephson (born 1957) is a Ghanaian journalist and pollster. Ephson is the Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Ben Ephson was born in Accra in 1957. He had his secondary education at the Accra Academy and obtained his law degree, LL.B (Hons) from the University of Ghana, Legon in 1981. [5] He won a Ford Foundation Fellowship to study US Foreign Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. [1] His research paper was entitled 'The Impact of the Print Media on U.S. Foreign Policy Somalia as a case study'. [6]

Career

Ben begun his professional career in journalism in 1974, whilst still a student at the Accra Academy. [5] [7] He started reporting for the London-based monthly Africa Magazine. [1] His reports on torture and other forms of human right abuse for the Africa Magazine did not go unnoticed by the then military government in power at the time, the National Redemption Council. [1] [7] Aside the possibility of his arrest, the concern of school authorities realising he was leaving the boarding house without permission to attend press conferences and conduct interviews was another threat he faced. [1] His imminent arrest occurred while a student at the Accra Academy as he recalled how surprised they were to find out the Ben Ephson they expected to see was a teenage school boy rather than a grown man. [1] He spent five months in cell without any visitors. Ben continued to pursue journalism even after receiving his law degree from the University of Ghana in 1981, the year the Limann government was overthrown by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). Around the period, he was reporting for the weekly West Africa (magazine) . [1] He was arrested once again, this time by the AFRC which had then evolved into Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). [7] At the time of his arrest, his wife was 8-months pregnant and he was released about 4 months after his son was born. [1] He worked with the Africa Magazine from 1974 to 1984 and worked for the West Africa (magazine) from 1982 to 1996. [7] [8] He was the Ghanaian Correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 1986 and 1996 and the Ghanaian Correspondent for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) from 1996 to 2006. [7] [8] He also hosted Ephson's File, a live radio talk show, on Radio Gold  in the mid 1990s. He is currently the managing editor of the Daily Dispatch. [7] [8] [9]

Ben is widely regarded as a renowned and credible pollster in Ghana. He has credited his polling abilities to the principles of the U.S. election research opinion polling which he had the opportunity to learn while studying at the University of Maryland. [7] [1] [6] Many of his predictions with regards to the presidential elections have been correct or very close and for this reason he is a very sought after pollster in the country. However, prior to the 2016 general election which resulted in a victory for the National Patriotic Party (NPP) he predicted John Mahama's National Democratic Congress (NDC) to poll 52.4 percent of the votes and Nana Akufo-Addo's National Patriotic Party (NPP) to poll 45.9 percent of the votes. [7] [10]

Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Patriotic Party</span> Political party in Ghana

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is a centre-right and liberal-conservative political party in Ghana. Since the democratisation of Ghana in 1992, it has been one of the two dominant parties in Ghanaian politics, with its leading rival being the centre-left National Democratic Congress (NDC). John Kufuor of the NPP was President of Ghana from 2001 to 2009. At the elections held on 7 December 2004, the party won 129 out of 230 seats. The NPP candidate was Kufuor, who was re-elected as president with 52.75% of the vote. The New Patriotic Party symbol is the African elephant and the New Patriotic Party colours are red, white, and blue.

Joseph Kofi Kowe Adda was a Ghanaian politician, who served as a Member of Parliament and also the Minister for Aviation in the New Patriotic Party government under President Akufo-Addo until January 2021. He was also a Financial Economist and a Management Consultant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Ghanaian general election</span>

General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2008. Since no candidate received more than 50% of the votes, a run-off election was held on 28 December 2008 between the two candidates who received the most votes, Nana Akufo-Addo of the governing New Patriotic Party and John Atta Mills of the opposition National Democratic Congress. Mills was certified as the victor by a margin of less than one percent, winning the presidency on his third attempt. It is to date the closest election in Ghanaian history.

Albert Kwadwo Adu Boahen was a Ghanaian academic, historian, and politician. He was an academic at the University of Ghana from 1959 to 1990, from 1971 onwards as a professor. As a politician, he notably was a candidate in the 1992 Ghanaian presidential election, representing the main opposition New Patriotic Party.

Kojo Acquah Yankah is a former Member of Parliament in Ghana. He also served as a Minister of State in the Rawlings government. He is the founder and President of the African University College of Communications and is also a former editor of the Daily Graphic, the widest circulation newspaper in Ghana.

The 2010 New Patriotic Party presidential primary election was a nationwide election organized by the Electoral Commission of Ghana at the request of the New Patriotic Party of Ghana for the election of a candidate that would represent the party in the 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections. It was held on 7 August 2010. The New Patriotic Party is the biggest opposition party in the Parliament of Ghana with 107 members of parliament out of 230.

Victor Nii Kutey Okaikoi is a Ghanaian former army captain and New Patriotic Party politician. He was a candidate for the Odododiodoo constituency of the Accra Metropolis District in the 2012 Ghanaian parliamentary election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Ghartey</span> Ghanaian lawyer and politician

Joe Ghartey is a Ghanaian lawyer, academic and politician. He is a former Attorney-General of Ghana (2006–2009), Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament (2013–2017) and Railways Development Minister (2017–2021). Joe Ghartey hails from Shama, in the Western Region of the Republic of Ghana.

Joshua Kwabena Siaw, popularly known as J. K. Siaw, was a Ghanaian industrialist and philanthropist, who in 1969 established Tata Brewery Ltd. – now known as Guinness Ghana Breweries, also as Achimota Brewery Company (ABC). He is notable for opening the largest wholly African-owned brewery company in West Africa in 1973. In 1979 all his assets were confiscated by the AFRC regime of Ghana under false allegations of tax evasion. He died in London, in exile, in October 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freda Akosua Prempeh</span> Ghanaian politician

Freda Akosua Oheneafrewo Prempeh is a Ghanaian politician, and Member of Parliament in the Seventh Parliament and Eighth Parliament of the fourth republic of Ghana representing Tano North Constituency in the Ahafo Region, Ghana. She's currently the Minister of State, for the Ministry of works and housing, Ghana. She previously served as the Deputy Gender Minister and also Assembly member – "Assembly Woman" from 2002 to 2010 for the Lakoo Electoral Area of the La-Dadekotopo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Kaledzi</span>

Isaac Kaledzi is a Ghanaian entrepreneur, broadcast journalist, radio personality, and blogger who is the founder and CEO of Africa Feeds Media Limited, a Pan-African media brand. He currently works for Deutsche Welle as their African correspondent while being based in Ghana. He previously worked for the Ghanaian radio station Starr FM Ghana as an editor.

George Isaac Amoo is a Ghanaian politician who was member of parliament for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency from January 2001 to January 2005. He was the 3rd national coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization in Ghana.

Kwame Safo-Adu was a Ghanaian physician and also a Ghanaian politician; a Minister of State in the second republic and a founding member of the New Patriotic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lydia Alhassan</span> Ghanaian politician

Lydia Seyram Alhassan is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.

Justice Akuamoa Boateng was a Ghanaian civil servant and politician. He served as a deputy minister of state in the second republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Ghanaian general election</span>

General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2020. Incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was re-elected in the first round after securing a majority of the votes. Former President John Dramani Mahama announced that he would contest the results. At the Supreme Court, a petition challenging the result was filed on 30 December, and unanimously dismissed on 4 March 2021 for lack of merit.

Doris Asibi Seidu was a Ghanaian educationist, social worker and politician who served as the member of parliament for the Chereponi from 2005 to 2009 when she died in office. She was the first female to represent the constituency in parliament.

Joseph Darko-Mensah was a Ghanaian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the third parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana. He represented the Okaikwei North constituency in the Greater Accra Region under the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Kwame Darko is a Ghanaian politician and an economist, who served as member of parliament for Bibiani/Anhwiaso constituency in the Western Region of Ghana.

James Ben Kaba was a Ghanaian politician and member of the first parliament of the second republic of Ghana representing Bolgatanga constituency under the membership of the Progress Party (PP).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Condobrey, Antoinette H. (18 January 2013). "UP Close with Ben Ephson". The African Report.
  2. ↑ Nettey, Josephine (25 April 2018). "Is Ben Ephson a Pollster or Political Advisor?". The Herald.
  3. ↑ Essamuah, Collin (18 December 2014). "Ben Ephson the Optimist". The Daily Graphic.
  4. ↑ "Ben Ephson delivers lecture on Pre and Post election voter behaviour". ugbs.ug.edu.gh. 17 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  5. 1 2 Ephson, Ben (2008). The Countdown to 2008 Elections. Allied News.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Ephson, Ben (2008). The Countdown to 2008 Elections. Allied News.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Ben Ephson". Media Ownership Monitor Ghana. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 Ephson, Ben (2008). The Countdown to 2008 Elections. Allied News.
  9. ↑ Diedong, A. L. (2016). Responsible Journalism and Quest for Professional Standards in Ghana. Woeli Publishing Services. p. 100. ISBN   9789988236045.
  10. ↑ "Analysis of the 2012 Presidential Elections". Ben Ephson. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  11. ↑ "West Africa, Issues 3953–3966". West Africa. West Africa Publishing Company Limited: 1356. 1993.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.