Memorial night held to honour Torgbor Mensah
A remembrance service was held in Accra last Friday to honour the memory of a renowned advertising personality, Mr. Torgbor Mensah, who died on October 23, 2021.
The occasion, which was held at the forecourt of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly Office, brought together the family, admirers, fans and other loved ones to celebrate the life of the advertising guru who was also the President of the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG).
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As part of the occasion, short film documentaries narrating the life of Mr. Mensah were played while tributes were also read by some dignitaries to express their heartfelt gratitude and admiration to him and the bereaved family.
Amid poetry recitations to eulogise him, the Greater Accra regional representative of the Council of State, Mr. Enoch Teye, led participants and family of Mr. Mensah to light candles in his honour.
Tribute
Popularly known as Uncle Tee, he was an accomplished advertising magnate, an industrialist, Estate Developer and a philanthropist.
He was a trailblazer entrepreneur who founded several businesses, including Design, Display, Publicity (DDP), the largest outdoor company in Ghana, and a known philanthropist.
A tribute read in his honour by the Executive Director of the AAG, Mr. Francis Dadzie, stated that Uncle Tee’s meteoric rise into prominence showed him to be a self-made man who, by sheer hard work and sustained obedience in apprenticeship, rose through the ranks to join the respected advertising practitioners in Ghana and certainly Africa.
He added that his passion for the development of Accra and the Local Assemblies was unsurpassed which led him to support the “Let’s Make Greater Accra Work” campaign.
His concern for humanity, Mr. Dadzie said, could not be questioned.
In support of the COVID-19 campaign, he said Uncle Tee donated a number of billboards to promote the call to observe the COVID-19 protocols and to ultimately drive out COVID-19 and its related variants out of Ghana and all nations for businesses to resume full operation and peace to prevail globally.
Nurturing
The Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission, Mr. George Sarpong, said for most professional communicators in the country, Mr Mensah ignited their interest, afforded them opportunities and nurtured them to grow in the industry.
The NMC, he said, would remember Mr. Mensah for his team work, consultative leadership, drive and action exhibited in his field of work.
The Acting President of the Advertising Association of Ghana, Ms. Mensah Amoa-Awuah, commended the stakeholders for their love and support to honour Mr. Torgbor.
She, therefore, urged them to emulate the good virtues exhibited by the advertising magnate to move the industry to higher heights.
The General Manager of Asaase Broadcasting Company Limited, Mr. Moses Ofori-Atta, said Mr. Mensah’s impact was extended to the Asase radio during its establishment.
Exhortation
The Founder of the Worldwide Miracle Outreach, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, in his exhortation, said Mr. Mensah had a lot of respect for God and urged all to emulate Mr. Mensah’s love for God.
Background
Born of Ghanaian and Togolese parents, Mr. Torgbor Mensah started work at the Commercial Advertising Company (CADCO), a government owned Agency, in the early part of 1970 as a Junior Clerk of no trade or profession, but systematically trained on the job under able supervisors to become a prolific graphic designer of great intellect ready to learn everything and anything.
When CADCO folded up in or about 1974, Uncle Tee teamed up with his creative mentor at CADCO, to form an Outdoor Agency called USAS, what many considered at the time, as a youthful company.
Unfortunately, the partners of USAS did not stay together for long. The break-up of USAS enabled Mr. Torgbor Mensah to form his own company which he named DDP.
As a start-up, Mr. Torgbor Mensah’s creative genius was put to the test, but the new company, DDP, proved a success.