The first Ghanaian lawyer who has Legon Sarbah Hall named after him – Sankofa series

It’s another month of March; a month in which Ghana celebrates its heritage and rich culture and history, in what many dub Ghana month.

As part of GhanaWeb’s efforts to mark the month, we highlight some interesting historical facts about Ghana in stories.

To begin, we put the spotlight on one of Ghana’s educationists:

Mensah Sarbah:

He is credited with being the first Ghanaian and African to have attained the status of a barrister.

John Mensah Sarbah was born on June 3, 1864, in Anomabo to John Sarbah, a merchant and member of the Legislative Council of Gold Coast, and his mother, Sarah Sarbah.

He schooled at the Cape Coast Wesleyan school which he later renamed Mfantsipim School before proceeding to the Queen’s College in Tauriton, Somerset in the United Kingdom.

He then continued to study law at the Lincoln’s Inn in London and was called to the English bar in 1887.

He was the first ever Ghanaian and African to have achieved that feat in the Gold Coast.

In 1901, he was appointed a member of the legislative council like his father and was re-appointed in 1906.

The Mensah Sarbah Hall; one of the traditional halls at the University of Ghana, was named after John Mensah Sarbah to honour his contribution to education in the country.

The Mensah Sarbah Hall is close to the Central Cafeteria and the Union House – the office of the Student Representative Council (SRC).

Members of this Hall are called Vikings.

The hall consists of a main hall built around a quadrangle and a number of annexes standing to the north and east. The last two south annexes are attached to the Hall.

John Mensah Sarbah is known for his famous educational quote; “When you educate a man, you educate a single individual, but when you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation”.

Mensah Sarbah died on November 1910.

Family Life:

In 1904, John Mensah Sarbah married Marion Wood from Accra and they had three children.

Contribution to education:

John Mensah Sarbah is known for his promotion of secondary education through various initiatives. He founded the Dutton scholarship at Queen’s College Taunton in memory of his younger brother, Joseph Dutton Sarbah who died there in 1892.

He joined his colleague William Edward Sam to promote Fanti Public Schools Limited and the Fanti National Educational Fund to improve educational facilities in the country and award scholarships.

He also started a scholarship scheme called Dutton Sarbah Scholarship at Mfantsipim School.