Mfantsipim School - Social

Social

Besides the political and the administration fields, the school has made a decisive impact socially.

Mfantsipim alumni contributed to building a truly Ghanaian educated class, and the development of secondary and university education in this country.

The 1880s was one of intellectual renaissance and high watermark of journalism in Ghana. Products of Mfantsipim wrote and published the books of that period: Fanti Customary Laws (1897), Ethiopia Unbound (1911).

Even more numerous were the newspapers founded during the period. These included the Western Echo (1885), Gold Coast Chronicle (1896), Gold Coast Express (1897). Mensah-Sarbah founded two of them while Casely Hayford worked on the Western Echo.

Some of the old boys of the inter-war period became traditional rulers. Nana Ayirebi Acquah of Winneba, Nana Kobina Nketsia IV of Essikado, Sekondi and the great Ga Mantse, Nii Tackey Tawiah II, who died in 1947.

Wesley College and Trinity College are both offsprings of Mfantsipim. The first headmasters of Prempeh College and Fijai Secondary schools are direct products of Mfantsipim School.

Accra Academy, Wesley Grammar and Ghana National College were all modeled after Mfantsipim. In fact, the Headmaster of Wesley Grammar in 1960 declared that their aim was to build a second Mfantsipim.

The entire first batch of students who entered Achimota School's intermediate degree programs were all Mfantsipim boys. This was the nucleus of University of Ghana. So was the first ever school prefect of Achimota School, William Ofori Atta (Paa Willie).

Among the very first professors of the University of Ghana were all Old Boys. These are: K. A. Busia, J. K. De Graft-Johnson, K. E. de Graft Johnson, K. T. de Graft Johnson, Seth La-Anyane, K. A. Dickson, and K. B. Dickson.

All these achievements confirms the prophecy Rev. Lockhart made about more than a century ago that in few years time, the people of this country will be amazed at the number of its influential citizens who owe allegiance to Mfantsipim.

W.E. Saccoom, W. Coleman, J. Intsiful, J. Doomson, R. S. Coleman, W. E. G. Sackney, I. W. Anaman and A. Esiam collectively known as the Faithful Eight were the courageous students of Mfantsipim, who without a principal or teaching staff, met to study and help each other in 1907.

It was Rev. W. T. Balmer, who on a school inspection from Sierra Leone, came to their rescue to revive Mfantsipim. Rev Balmer christened them as the "Faithful 8" in 1910.

In commemoration of Mfantsipim's centenary in 1976, a monument was commissioned in their honour.

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