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13 September 1924 � Friday 15 March 2013 �And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away,� Revelations 21:4. Benjamin Mensah was born on Saturday 13 September 1924 in Kumawu Ashanti. He was the 8th out of 11 children of his parents, Opanin Kwame Basoa and Madam Akosua Taa (3 of the children died at birth), only one now remains. His father was a cocoa farmer and his mother was a vegetable farmer. His father took two additional wives. He went to farm with his parents and only went to school when he was about 10 years of age, following a visit by the Anglican Catechist. The name Benjamin Amponsah Mensah was a construct which he acquired when he was about 12 and working as a house boy in Kumasi. In 1944, Benjamin obtained his first employment with John Holt Ltd in Kumasi as a Merchandize Invoicing Clerk. He joined the Civil Service and during the Second World War, he worked in the Agriculture Department of the Rubber Production Sector. At the end of the war, he was made redundant and joined the Gold Coast Police Force for a period of 1 year 10 months, leaving soon after he received head injuries during the 1948 riots. He was thereafter employed by GB Ollivant. They were impressed with his aptitude and sent him on a special managerial course. He decided to resign in 1951, the company refused to accept his resignation letter as they had not benefitted sufficiently from their investment in him. He therefore took annual leave and decided not to return thereafter. He sought the advice of Solicitors and after discussion his resignation was accepted. Later in 1951, Benjamin Mensah registered B. A. Mensah & Co., as an import/export company. It traded in imports of carbolic soap, key soap, Henkes Aromatic Schnapps and EK Gin. He also imported guns and ammunition for sale to farmers. He worked hard and built savings, later setting up the manufacture of Asante Kente Yarns in 1960, a company which he registered as Textile Spinning Works Limited. By 1975 he was the leading supplier of Kente Yarns in Ghana. In 1966, he set up the Association of Ghanaian Businessmen and decided to diversify his business interests. Following extensive research and discussion with other international producers he set up International Tobacco Ghana Limted (ITG). Production started in 1976. Thereafter he expanded the business to include tobacco growing agriculture with the first export to Libya amounting to US$1.95 million. ITG established farms in Ejura, Nkoranza, Nsuta and Mampong-Ashanti and also a tobacco export processing plant. The farm operation was a separate company called Leaf Development Company and included equity partners. In spite, or possibly because of the success of ITG, the company was seized by the government in 1988. The company fought through the courts for the return of its properties. The government passed and sold the properties on to other institutions and companies, most notably SSNIT, BAT and Duraplast. Despite success in the courts and declaration that the seizure was illegal, at the time of his death the properties had still not been returned to Mr BA Mensah nor had he been properly compensated for their seizure. He leaves behind 2 children (Dinah and Vidah) by his first wife and 4 (Barbara, Herbert, Bernard and Charles) by his second wife.