INTRODUCTION
Koffi, Atta Annan (koffi Aeden) was born on 8th April 1939 in Kumasi, Gold Cost (now known as Ghana) and died on 18th august 2018 in Bern, Switzerland. Koffi Annan was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary general for the United Nations from Jan 1997 to December 2006.
He was the founder and chairman of the Koffi Annan in foundation as well as, the elders, an international organization founded by Nelson Mandela.
EARLY LIFE
Koffi Annan and his twin sister (Efua Atta Annan) who died in 1991 shared the middle name “Atta” which is in the Akan language which mean “twin”
Koffi Atta Anna was named corresponding to the day he was born that is Friday, which is according to their custom and tradition and his surname “Annan” rhymes with “cannon” in English.
Koffi Atta Anna was fluent in English, French, Akan and some kru language and some others African language.
EDUCATION
Koffi Atta Annan attended Elite Mfant Sipim School (a Methodist boarding school) in Cape Coast and he began studying economics at the Kumasi college of science and technology ( now the Kwane Nkumah university of science and technology Ghana)
Koffi completed his undergraduate in economics at Macalster College in st. Paul Minne Sota, United state in 1961. He then proceeded to earn a degree in International studies at the graduate institute of international and development studies on Geneva, Switzerland from 1961-1962.
After some work experience he furthered to study at MIT Sloan school of management (1971-1972) in the Sloan fellow program and earned master degree in management.
CAREER
In 1962 he started working as a budget officer for World Health Organization as an agency of the United Nation (UN) from 1974-1976, he worked as a manager at the state-owned Ghana tourist development in Accra.
In 1980, koffi became the head of personnel for the office of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNITCR) in Geneva.
In 1987, he also became the director of administration management service of the UN secretary in New York. He was also appointed as the assistance secretary general for human resources management and security co-ordination for the united nation system in 1987 he also became the assistance secretary general for program planning budget and finance and control.
Annan joined the UN in 1942 he went on to work in several capacities of the UN headquarters including serving as the UN secretary general for peace maker between march 1992 and December 1996. Koffi anna was appointed as the security counsel and later confirmed by the general assembly making him the first office holder to be elected by the UN staff itself.
He was reelected for second term in 2001 and was succeeded as the secretary general. Koffi Annan reformed the UN bureaucracy work to combat UN global compact.
He founded the Koffi Annan foundation in 2007 to work on international development. In 2012 Annan was the UN-arab league joint special representative for Syria, to help find the resolution to the ongoing conflict there. He later quit after becoming frustrated with the UN lack of progress with regards to conflict. in September 2016, Annan was appointed to lead UN commission to investigate the Rohingya crisis.
FAMILY
Koffi Atta Annan got married to Titi Alakiya (a Nigerian woman) in 1965. Together they had a son Kojo and daughter Ama. Koffi got Separated with her in the late 1970’s but he remained an involved parent and lived with his son kojo for a while after his separation with the mother.
After several years of living apart from his first wife, in 1981 he fell in love with Nane Lagergen (a lawyer of UN ) of which Nane was also a divorcee who had a young daughter (Nina )from her first marriage.
Annan and Nane got married at New York in 1981.
AWARDS
2000:
-Kora all African music award in the category of lifetime achievement
2001
-Nobel foundation, the nobel prize jointly presented to koffi Annan and the UN
2002
-Profile in courtge award
-The American whig-cliosophic society, James Madison award for distinguished public service
2003
-Foreign honorary member of the American academy of arts and science
-Freedom prize of the max schimiheiny foundation of the University of St. Gallen
2004
-Freedom medal
2006
-IPs international achievement award
-Olof Palme prize
2007
-wooden cross bow special award from the Swiss world economic forum
-people in Europe award of Verlags Gruppe Passau
-Mac Arthur foundation, mac Arthur award & international justices
-North-south prize of the council of Europe
2008
-Havard University honors prize
-Gottiles Buttweiler awards
-peace of west 7Phalia prize
-open society awards CUE business school Budapest
2011
-Gothenburg award
2012
-Confucius peace prize
