Did you know? Ghana had a president for just 24 days, the shortest term in Ghana's history

• Justice Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu served as Ghana's Acting President for only 24 days between August 7 and August 31, 1970.

• He took over from military leader Akwasi Afrifa and later handed power to elected President Edward Akufo-Addo.

• Beyond politics, Ollennu was a Supreme Court judge, Speaker of Parliament and one of Ghana's most respected legal scholars.

In Ghana’s presidential history, presidents, names such as Kwame Nkrumah, Jerry Rawlings, John Kufuor and John Mahama often come to mind. But few people know that the shortest-serving president in Ghana's history was not any of these leaders.

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That man is Justice Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu, who served as Ghana's Acting President for just 24 days, from August 7, 1970, to August 31, 1970.

Born on May 21, 1906, in Labadi, Accra, Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu was one of Ghana's most respected legal minds. He attended Salem School at Osu, Accra High School and later studied law at the Middle Temple in London, where he was called to the Bar in 1940.

He went on to build a distinguished career as a lawyer, judge and legal scholar, eventually becoming a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana in 1962. He was also regarded as an authority on customary land law and authored several legal books that continue to be referenced today.

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In February 1966, Ghana's first President, Kwame Nkrumah, was overthrown in a military coup while on a trip abroad. The country was subsequently governed by the National Liberation Council (NLC), a military administration led by Lt. Gen. Akwasi Afrifa.

As Ghana prepared to return to constitutional rule in 1969 and 1970, a new constitution established the Second Republic. Under the new arrangement, the presidency became largely ceremonial, while executive authority rested with Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia.At the time, Ollennu was serving as Speaker of Parliament.

Because a substantive president had not yet been elected under the new constitutional system, he was appointed Chairman of the Presidential Commission and Acting President to oversee the final phase of the transition from military to civilian rule.

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Ollennu officially assumed office on August 7, 1970, taking over from Lt. Gen. Afrifa. His role was primarily to ensure a smooth constitutional transition and maintain stability until a new president was chosen. 24 days later, on August 31, 1970, he handed over power to Edward Akufo-Addo, who had been elected President by an electoral college under the Second Republican Constitution.

His 24-day tenure remains the shortest presidential term ever served by a Ghanaian head of state.Ollennu's contribution to Ghana extended far beyond politics. He served as Speaker of Parliament from 1969 to 1972, was President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, and earned recognition as one of Ghana's foremost legal scholars.

His work on customary land tenure and inheritance law helped shape legal thinking across Ghana and Africa.Justice Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu died on December 22, 1986, at the age of 80.