Former Defence Minister Mark Woyongo Dies At 78

Former Minister of Defence, Interior, and Member of Parliament for Navrongo Central, Mark Owen Woyongo, has died at age 78.

Head of the Woyongo family, Awini Zinge in a press statement said the former MP died on Wednesday, January 17, at the Bank of Ghana Hospital in Accra.

“Head of the Woyongo Family, Mr. Awini Zinge of Nayagnia – Navrongo, wish to announce with deep sorrow the death of their beloved son and brother, Mark Owen Woyongo. The sad event occurred on Wednesday, 17th January 2024 at the Bank of Ghana Hospital”, the family announced.

The family added that arrangements regarding the funeral will be announced to in due course. 

Mark Owen Woyongo was born on June 9, 1946 in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region of Ghana.

He completed Notre Dame Secondary School in Navrongo in 1966 and gained admission to the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 1971 and completed with a Diploma in Journalism in 1973.

He undertook many professional courses both in Ghana and abroad.

Notable among them were a Senior Executive Development at the Management Productivity Institute (MPDI), Financial Management at GEM Consult, Management at the Carnegie Institute, London, and Population and Communication, Rural Reporting, and Message Development and Training, at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

Mr Woyongo held many appointments during his career as a politician and a communicator.

He was the Public Relations Officer for the Upper East Regional Administration between 1978 and 1985.

In 1985, he was appointed the Regional Information Officer, Upper East Region, a position he held until 1994 when he was appointed the Minister Counselor for Information at the Ghana High Commission in London, United Kingdom.

He was Upper Easter Regional Minister from 2009 to 2012 and became a parliamentarian in 2013 representing Narongo Central.

He served as Defence Minister in 2013 and later as Minister of the Interior.

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