User:Philip4mensah/James Leuven Mensah

J.V.L. Mensah, short for James Van Leuven Mensah (popularly known as Leuven Mensah and named after an European Missionary; probably Dutch or Belgian) was born at Kengen to a Catholic missionary from Nkroful called Mensah who settled at Kengen and a lady called Nyanke Adelah from the Nyanke household of Eshelenu (the eastern side of Kengen). It is well believed in the town that his father was instrumental in the building of the main Catholic Church now called St. Mary’s Catholic Church. He also donated his coconut plantation estate to the Church leaving no inheritance for any of his children. Mr Leuven Mensah was the 2nd male of a family of seven children who lost their father when the youngest was still a baby.

He was a gifted student and after elementary education gained a scholarship to Achimota Secondary School. Afterwards, he went on to study Accountancy at the School of Professional Studies. Mr Mensah worked with various organisations including UAC. He obtained a scholarship to complete his ACCA accountancy training in the UK in the 1960’s specialising in auditing and returned to Ghana in 1966. He later joined the Bank of Ghana as an Auditor and rose to the ranks of chief Internal Auditor and Bank Examiner. Mr Mensah worked with the bank and undertook various assignments and secondments to Government Departments until 1979 when he was elected as a member of parliament for the Jomoro Constituency. He also served as a member of various companies’ board of directors including secondment to the Ghana Supply Commission by the Bank of Ghana until 1979 where he was the Managing Director. As an accountant and banker, Mr Mensah was always advocating rural banking for his native area. He registered a rural bank for the Jomoro district with the bank of Ghana.

On his return from overseas following the dissolution of parliament in 1981 and having re-educated himself at British and American institutions, by first obtaining a degree in Law at Buckinghamshire University and a Masters in Law in the US, he was appointed to the board of directors of Jomoro Rural Bank where he is now the Chairman.