SAMUEL A. JINAPOR, MP
MINISTER FOR LANDS AND NATURAL RESOURCES DESIGNATE
Mr. Samuel A. Jinapor is a Politician, a dedicated member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a Qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana. He graduated from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics with specialisation in Biomedical Physics.
His intellectual thirst and political aspirations led him to enrol to be trained as a lawyer, which goal he successfully accomplished. Consequently, he was called to the Ghana Bar in 2012.
As a newly enrolled lawyer, he undertook his pupillage with an Accra based reputable commercial and corporate law firm, Messrs. Kulendi @ Law from October 2012 to August 2013, where he studied under the tutelage of Yonny Kulendi, at the time a renowned lawyer, and, now, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana.
Mr. Jinapor rose to become a Senior Associate at the firm. In this capacity, he developed considerable skill for quick thinking and oratory; he acted as an advocate in major commercial and corporate litigation. Whilst with Messrs. Kulendi @ Law, Mr. Jinapor acted as a transactional lawyer for several complex commercial negotiations, domestically and internationally.
As Senior Associate he was periodically assigned to manage a team of lawyers from diverse backgrounds. Over the years he had the rare responsibility of representing major foreign companies in Ghana as a Solicitor and legal advocate, both in Ghanaian courts and Arbitral Tribunals.
His interest in the public affairs of Ghana encouraged him to join politics in 2004 and he has since been a widely known Political Activist. His first foreign relations exposure came when, at an early age of twenty-three (23), he had the unusual privilege and honour to accompany the then President of the Republic, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufour, on his famous State Visit to the United Kingdom (UK) in 2007 as a Communication Aide, where he made appearances on various media houses in the UK.
Subsequently, he was appointed by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, then a Presidential aspirant, as his Campaign Aide in the historic 2007 NPP Presidential Primaries. He held this position for both the 2008 and 2012 General Elections.
In the 2016 General Elections, Mr. Jinapor played a major Political Advocacy role for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its Presidential Candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. He was seen and heard on major media and campaign platforms across the country, taking on the then Mahama Administration and promoting the policies of his Party, a task he executed brilliantly with enormous courage and tenacity, thereby earning him the admiration of many. Mr. Jinapor is reputed as a highly driven and dynamic rising young Politician, energetic, intelligent and resourceful; he combines effective communication skills with detailed legal knowledge to unpack complex problems and deliver a satisfactory outcome whilst working alone and as part of a larger team.
Mr. Jinapor earned his Master’s Degree in Law (LL.M) in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) from the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, in May 2017. In the course of his studies, amongst others, he successfully took academic sessions in International Commercial Arbitration, Labour Law, Law and Society.
In 2017, President Akufo-Addo appointed him as Deputy Chief of Staff, in charge of Operations, at the Presidency, at a youthful age of thirty-three (33), the youngest in the history of Ghana to occupy such a position. As Deputy Chief of Staff, he assisted the Chief of Staff by mobilising government machinery to support the execution of the President’s agenda for the country.
In 2020, whilst still performing his demanding task as Deputy Chief of Staff, he contested the Parliamentary seat of Damongo, the maternal hometown of former President John Dramani Mahama, the 2020 Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and won that highly competitive election with a significant margin. He unseated the NDC’s two-term Member of Parliament and ranking member for Energy and Mines, Hon. Adam Mutawakilu. Since the creation of the Damongo Constituency in 2012, the NPP had never won the Presidential and Parliamentary elections. Thus, the victory of Mr. Jinapor in this Constituency came as a big surprise to many political pundits. He has since been sworn in as a Member of the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic.
President Akufo-Addo has nominated him as the Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources in his second term government. If approved by Parliament, he will be the youngest to have occupied this portfolio.
He is happily married to Mrs. Naada B.D. Jinapor, a Lawyer and head of the Corporate Law Department of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) of Ghana. Their marriage is blessed with four (4) daughters.
