Samuel Abu Jinapor is a Ghanaian lawyer and politician. He is a member of the New Patriotic Party and the Member of Parliament for the Damongo Constituency.

In 2017, President Akufo-Addo appointed him as Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations at the Office of the President, at a very youthful age of 33, the youngest in the history of Ghana to occupy such a position. He is currently the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.

Early life and education

Samuel Jinapor was born in 1983 to Abudulai Jinapor, a former police officer and Chief of Buipe in the Northern Region of Ghana. He attended the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 2006. He proceeded to the University of Ghana in 2008 where he earned a Bachelor of Laws in 2010.

That same year, he was admitted to read LLB at Ghana School of Law, Makola, Accra. He was called to the Ghana Bar in 2012 as a Solicitor and Barrister of the Supreme Court of Ghana. He also holds a Master of Laws in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Faculty of Law, University Of Ghana.

Working life

Abu Jinapor was employed in 2012 at the commercial and corporate law firm, Kulendi@Law, upon his graduation from the Ghana School of Law. His two years at the firm saw him rise from a pupil to a senior associate.

Political life

Jinapor became active in politics at an early age. His elder brother, John Jinapor a former deputy Minister for Energy and Petroleum and a stalwart in the National Democratic Congress (NDC), had encouraged him to pursue politics by joining the NDC. Whiles at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Haruna Mahama, a member of the youth wing of the NPP, introduced Samuel to Nana Akufo-Addo.

It was from this time that his allegiance changed from the NDC to the NPP. He became a member of the Tertiary Education Students Confederacy of the New Patriotic Party (TESCON), the university wing of the NPP, and began actively campaigning for the party. During this period he got acquainted with Richard W. Anane who is reported to have been his sponsor.

He has been elected the Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency in the 2020 elections.

After the Ghanaian general election in 2016, President Akuffo-Addo, appointed him to be the Deputy Chief of Staff to Frema Opare. At the time of his appointment, he was 33 years old.

His appointment received mixed reactions from New Patriotic Party members and the Ghanaian populace. Some believed he was too young to hold such a sensitive position while others also held the view that he abandoned the party after it lost the 2012 Ghanaian general election. Some also applauded the President for his bold decision to appoint a young person to the position.

He replied to his critics by making it known that his aim was to ensure that Nana Akuffo-Addo's vision for the country would all be fulfilled by the end of his presidency.

He was accused and chastised by sections of the Ghanaian public for taking selfies with Otiko Afisa Djaba while on official duty as the UN Headquarters with the President. The pictures were taken whiles the President was giving his address before the United Nations General Assembly.

Personal life

Abu Jinapor is married to Naada Jinapor daughter of Nayon Bilijo, a former Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Ghana. Naada is a corporate lawyer with Social Security and National Insurance Trust. They have 4 daughters.