Daniel Ahmling Chapman Nyaho | |
|---|---|
| Ghana Ambassador to the United States of America | |
| In office 1957–1959 | |
| Appointed by | Kwame Nkrumah |
| Preceded by | Seth Anthony |
| Succeeded by | W.M.Q. Halm |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 July 1909 Keta, Volta Region, Gold Coast |
| Died | 13 July 2001 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | Ghanaian |
| Education | Achimota School |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | diplomat |
| Profession | Academic |
Daniel Ahmling Chapman Nyaho (5 July 1909 – 13 July 2001) was a Ghanaian statesman, diplomat and academic.[1][2] He was the first African appointee at the United Nations.[3] He served as the Secretary to the cabinet in the first Convention People's Party government which shared the colony's administration with the colonial government. He also served as Ghana's ambassador to the United States of America and Ghana's permanent representative to the United Nations.[1][2] In 1958, he became the first Ghanaian headmaster of Achimota College.[1]
Born in Keta, a town in the Volta Region of Ghana, Chapman had his early education in his hometown, Keta and briefly in Togo. He entered Achimota School to train as a teacher through unusual circumstances and taught at his alma mater, Achimota College prior to entering Oxford University for his bachelor's degree. He returned as a senior tutor at Achimota College taking up other roles in the school.
Aside academia, Chapman developed strong interest in the sociopolitical situation of the people of his hometown and the Ewe ethnic group at large. He advocated for the unification of the Ewe people who had been dispersed into different colonial administrations by the colonial powers of the time. He was a founding member of the All-Ewe Conference (AEC) and also served as its first secretary. Through his engagements as a member of the conference, he gained appointment at the United Nations, becoming one of the earliest Africans to serve on the world's most powerful intergovernmental organization.
In 1954, Chapman returned to the Gold Coast to work as Secretary to the then Prime Minister of the Gold Coast, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He served in that capacity until 1957 when he was made Ghana's ambassador to the United States of America. While serving in that post, he also doubled as Ghana's permanent representative to the United Nations. Following the exit of the last expatriate Headmaster of Achimota College in 1958, Chapman returned to the school as its first Ghanaian and African Headmaster. He held this appointment until 1963. Chapman returned to the United Nations once more, and also served on various boards in Ghana following the 1966 coup d'état.
Chapman spent most of his retirement years as a consultant and a small scale farmer. He was also engaged in the activities of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences of which he was a member. Chapman died in 2001 at the age of 92.