History

Lions Clubs International was introduced in Ghana during the 1980/81 Lions Service year and the first Club, Accra Host, received its charter certificate on 18th March 1982. Membership was mainly made up of expatriates, who were Lions in their home countries before coming to Ghana. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of the 31st December 1981 Revolution, the majority of the members left Ghana resulting in the Club becoming defunct.

In mid-1986, a notice was posted in the Daily Graphic newspaper inviting interested people to a meeting on Lionism. The meeting attracted a cross-section of people including students and the youth. Even though the Convener promised another meeting, nothing was heard until early 1987 when the late Lion Lionel Arthur Ankrah returned from Liberia where he had been a member of the
Greater Monrovia Lions Club. Lion Ankrah together with other Ghanaian returnees formed the Accra Premier Lions Club on 7th  September 1987.

With the assistance of the Greater Monrovia Lions Club, Lome Doyen Lions Club became the sponsoring Club with Ghanaian residents, Lions Dr. Charles Kwame Ghartey and Emmanuel Kojo Bruce also became the trainers of the new Club. The training culminated in the presentation of the Charter Certificate to the new Club on 22 nd December 1987 with Lion Lionel Arthur Ankrah as the Charter President. The Club found itself in District 403A Zone 121 same as Lome Doyen.

Since Accra Premier Lions Club was placed under District 403A, so were all subsequent clubs that were chartered in Ghana after Accra Premier Lions Club.

In 1989, Accra Premier Lions Club sponsored the Accra Golden Lioness Club, a female Club. The Association, LCI, during that period was an all-male organization. Following a US court ruling in 1988, Lioness Clubs were given the option to convert to Lions Clubs, an option the Club accepted and thus became Accra Golden Lions Club in May 1992.

Accra Ebony Lions Club was chartered a month earlier, that is, in April 1992. Then came Accra Diamond Lions Club in October 1993. With the increase in the number of Clubs, Ghana achieved Zone status in the 1994/1995 service year with the Late Lion Nelson Yao Agbesi as the 1st Zone Chairman of Zone 121, and Ghana was placed in the same Region as Togo and Benin.

Lionism continued to grow and subsequently, Ho Alpha Lions Club in 1995, Kumasi Royal Lions Club in 1995, Kpando Olive Lions Club in 1996, Tema Lions Club in 1996, Tamale Tisong Lions Club in 1997, Cape Coast Crystal Lions Club in 1999, and Twin City Lions Club in Sekondi-Takoradi in 2000, were chartered.

At this same time, Leo Clubs were also certified, with the first being Accra Sankofa in 1992, followed by Accra Labone in 1993, Sakumono in 1994 Kumasi Adehyee in 1996, Yaa AsantewaaHigh School Alpha Leo Club, Kumasi in 1997, Cape Coast Nyansapow in 1997, Tema in 1998, Legon in 1998, Accra Labone Alpha Leo Club in 1998 and Tamale Tamaha in 2000. Sakumono,Yaa Asantewaa High School Alpha, Accra Labone Alpha, and Tamale Tamaha Leo Clubs are now defunct.

In the 1998/1999 service year, Ghana, with ten Clubs was granted a Region status, Region 16, with two Zones under it, Zones 161 consisting of Accra Premier, Accra Ebony, Ho Alpha, Kpando Olive, and Tema Lions Clubs and 162 consisting of Accra Golden, Accra Diamond, Kumasi Royal, Tamale Tisong and Cape Coast Crystal Lions Clubs, and as expected, with the Late Lion Nelson Yao Agbesi as the 1st Region Chairman.

In the 2001/2002 Lion Service year, and with eleven Clubs, Ghana produced her first District Governor for District 403A in the person of the late Lion Nelson Yawo Agbesi. At the end of his tenure, Ghana held her first District Convention of Multiple District 403 in May 2002.

Lions’ service in Ghana encountered some challenges resulting in four (4) Clubs (Ho Alpha, Kpando Olive, Tamale Tisong, and Twin City) having their Charters withdrawn. Lions during this period expressed the desire to opt-out of the Francophone District due to the language barrier and high cost of acquiring CFA to pay the District dues. In spite of the aspirations, Clubs were still being chartered with Accra Metro, Legon, and Kumasi Garden City coming on stream in 2002, 2008, and 2010 respectively. Cape Coast Nyansapow was transferred from its parent, Accra Ebony, to Cape Coast Crystal Lions Club on 5th May 2005.

Eleven years later in 2012/2013, Ghana produced her second District Governor, Lion Gloria Esi Lassey for District 403A2, following the redistricting of District 403A into Districts 403A1 and 403A2. District 403A2 was made up of the Republic of Togo, the Republic of Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, the Republic of Benin, Liberia, and Sierre Leone. Accra Spintex Lions Club, Accra Gye Nyame Lions Club, Accra Ultimate Lions Club, Tema Supreme Lions Club, and Ho Sentinel Lions Club subsequently received their charters in 2013, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 respectively.

In March 2017, with the strong desire to leave District 403A2 due to language, apathy, as well as cultural and historical differences, a few Lions led by Lion William Sam, travelled to Nigeria to attend the Multiple District Convention of District 404 in Ilorin where a resolution was presented by the Ghana Lions to opt-out of District 403A2 to join District 404. The team was made aware of the possibility of Ghana becoming a provisional district with an amendment that had been made to a provision on redistricting in the Board Policy Manual.

To achieve this goal, Lions of Ghana worked assiduously and increased the number of Clubs with the presentation of the charter to Accra Platinum Lions Club in 2017 and Tema Greenwich Lions Club, Takoradi Oil City Lions Club, and Sunyani Sun City Lions Club in 2018.
Going forward, a group of Lions, chaired by Lions Nana Osei Asibey Poku I and William Sam, referred to as the Agenda Provisional District Committee pursued this agenda religiously and vigorously. This group consistently met at the Timeless Restaurant in Agbogba to develop the roadmap for the new District. In December 2017, a three-member team led by Lion Nana Osei Asibey Poku I travelled to India to attend the ISAAME Forum where they met with the International President Lion Naresh Agarwal and his team and presented the roadmap for a new District for Ghana.

Subsequently, the International President Lion Naresh Agarwal accompanied by International Director Hastings Chiti visited Ghana in February 2018 to assure that Ghana’s request for a Provisional District will be considered. Despite the numerous hurdles, challenges, and frustrations, on the 7 th of April 2018 in Miami, Florida, USA, Ghana was granted a Provisional District status and designated as Provisional District 418. Ghana as Provisional District 418 was officially ratified at the close of the 101 st Lions International Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, in June 2018 and Past International Director (PID) Ing. H. O. B. Lawal of MD404-Nigeria was assigned as the
Coordinating Lion for District 418-Ghana.

On Saturday, 12th January 2019, a three-member Nomination and Elections Committee chaired by Past Council Chair Lion Kola Oyenkami of MD404-Nigeria conducted a Special Delegates Conference at the Urbano Hotel, Osu, Accra at which the first District Officers were elected. Lion Dr. Kwaku Mensa-Bonsu was elected the District Governor, Lion Helen Maku Obeng as 1st Vice District Governor-elect, and Lion David Anokye as the 2nd Vice District Governor-elect. On 13th January 2019, Accra Excel Lions Club, the 20th Lions Club received its Charter.

The District was inaugurated at the District Conference held on the 2 nd of May 2019 in Accra, chaired by the Coordinating Lion, Past International Director Ing. H. O. B. Lawal who was ably supported by the Global Action Team Area Leader Constitutional Area 8 B, Past Council Chair Lion Sam Ekpuk, Past Council Chair Lion Kola Oyenkami and the Multiple District Council Chair Lion Lamee Ali, all of MD404-Nigeria. The Guest Speaker for the event was the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia whilst the Special Guest was Nene Nagai Kassa VIII, Chief of Mla-Hiormeh Agomeda Shai Traditional Area.

On the day of the inauguration, on 2nd May 2019, the District was made up of 20 Lions Clubs – Accra Premier, Accra Ebony, Accra Golden, Accra Diamond, Kumasi Royal, Tema, Cape Coast Crystal, Accra Metro, Legon, Kumasi Garden City, Accra Spintex, Accra Gye Nyame, Accra Ultimate, Tema Supreme, Ho Sentinel, Accra Platinum, Tema Greenwich, Takoradi Oil City, Sunyani Sun City, and Accra Excel; 2 Club Branches, Accra Galaxy and Mountain View; and 11 Leo Clubs – Accra Sankofa, Accra Labone, Kumasi Adehyee, Cape Coast Nyansapow, Tema, Legon, Accra City, Regional Maritime, Accra Gye Nyame, Akomapa Central and Brekuso Ashesi.

(Courtesies: LCI /COCOACC 2017/ District Inauguration Brochure 2019