Alex Quaison-Sackey was undoubtedly the most distinguished, effective and best known career diplomat in the Diplomatic Service of Ghana in the early years of the country’s independence. Recruited and trained together with eight others (“the faithful nine”) as pioneer career diplomats in the Foreign Service of Ghana, he soon demonstrated exceptional qualities of efficiency, hard work and dedication to duty, coupled with erudition and eloquence, finesse and elegance, poise and suavity, obstructiveness and friendly disposition, astuteness and geniality, affableness and conviviality, dignified bearing and sartorial flair – diplomat par excellence. He was readily selected above his colleagues for appointment as the country’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations – New York.
As Ghana’s representative from 1959 – 1965, he played a leading role in articulating Ghana’s foreign policy, particularly on such issues as decolonialization, African Unity and apartheid in South Africa. In the process he helped in no small measure to put Ghana firmly on the international radar. He was extremely popular both in and outside UN circles, earning for himself the nickname “Popular Alex”, particularly within the African-American community.
The crowning glory of his career – a very historic event – was his appointment in December 1964 as the first Black and youngest President of the UN General Assembly. He brought great honour to Ghana and Africa by his sterling performance at the UN.