A state burial in honour of the late John Henry Mensah, a former Senior Minister, will be held at the State House in Accra today, Friday, August 17, 2018.
J.H. Mensah, died a month ago at the 37 Military Hospital at age,89.
According to statement signed by the General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu his body will be laid in State at the Accra International Conference Centre at 6:00am  today.
This will be followed by a Memorial Service later in the day. President Akufo-Addo, Vice President Bawumia, Former Presidents, Rawlings, Kufuor and Mahama, as well as Members of the Diplomatic Corps, are expected to pay their last respects on Friday.
Born October 30, 1928, J.H. Mensah served as Finance Minister under Kofi Busia’s Progress Party (PP) administration from 1969 to 1972, which was cut short by Ignatius Kutu Acheampong’s coup.
He was also the Senior Minister under President John Kufuor decades later in 2001.
J.H. Mensah’s life in politics began in 1953 as an assistant inspector of taxes.
In 1958, he joined the United Nations Secretariat at the Centre for Development Planning, Projections and Policies.
He returned to Ghana in 1961 to Head the National Planning Commission
Mensah attended the University of Ghana between 1948 and 1954. He then headed to the University of London then Standford University, where he earned both a bachelor's and master's degree with a specialization in economic theory and development. In 1954, Mensah became a Research Fellow in Economics at the University of Ghana, which lasted until 1958.
Mensah served as an assistant inspector of taxes in 1953, under colonial rule. In 1958, Mensah joined the United Nations Secretariat at the Centre for Development Planning, Projections and Policies, in New York City, United States. Mensah returned to Ghana in 1961 as the Head of Agency at the National Planning commission. The National Planning commission drew and implemented the country's Seven-Year Development Plan (1963/64–1969/70). In 1969, he was elected to parliament and became the Finance minister until 1972, when he was replaced by state Ignatius Kutu Acheampong after the military coup
Beginning in 1974, Mensah worked in the private sector both in Ghana and abroad. He was imprisoned by the National Redemption council from 1975 to 1978.  Exiled in England, in 1983 he headed a group opposing the PNDC. He also served on the African Advisory Council of the African Development Bank from 1993 to 1997. In December 1996, he was elected Member of Parliament of Sunyani East District under the ticket of the New Patriotic Party. Prior toJohn Kufour's election in 2001, Mensah was the minority leader in Parliament.