Professor Sawyerr has always been a revolutionary, seeking in his work and public life to promote the fundamental transformation of the society that Ghana, like other African countries, inherited from the tragedy of colonialism, and to put ordinary people in charge of their own life choices. This commitment is one that he certainly shares with many in his generation. He has been almost unique, in the consistency with which he has pursued this commitment throughout his life and over so many areas of public and private engagement.

Even more instructive, the commitment to revolutionary change has not been confined to or defined by dramatic acts of the heroic. It has, just as importantly, also been exercised in travails that may appear almost mundane -- the work of nurturing ideas, people and organisations; of tirelessly seeking, in many a collective endeavour, the point of practical convergence that would move things towards desired outcomes; in a commitment to building and defending public spaces of rational discourse, including even official institutions, which is almost counter-intuitive for one so against the inherent authoritarianism of such institutions - and in all these, with the same unyielding, quiet integrity that has won the respect of even opponents.

Over the twenty-five years ofits operation, TWN-Africa has benefited and drawn inspiration from Professor Sawyerr's commitment to and skills for nurturing trans formative change. Between 1997 and 2002 he was Chair of the cutting-edge tripartite national dialogue on structural adjustment policies (SAP), co-hosted and co-managed by TWN-Africa and ISODEC. The Structural Adjustment Participatory Review Initiative (SAPRI) brought together civil society, the government and the World Bank for a joint no-holds-barred critique and evaluation of the SAPs. One could only admire his ability to keep three otherwise antagonistic forces focused on a common agenda, and ultimately to deliver outcomes which helped change the terms of official debate on on-going macro-economic policy reforms in Ghana. For TWN-Africa, which was also managing similar processes in other African countries, Aki's insights and leadership was salutary and helped build TWN-Africa'sconvening reputation across the continent.

The benefits of Ald's knowledge and skills for TWNAfrica's policy advocacy soon extended to a wide range of policy and intellectual arena beyond Ghana, covering initiatives on regional integration, minerals and development, international trade such as World Trade Organisation, the Lome Convention and its more virulent successor the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).

Over many years, as Chair of the Board of Directors, Aki has provided the steady hand and calm but inc1s1ve guidance through the turbulence that is almost inevitable with activist organisations such as TWN-Africa, in navigating the shifting landscape and fortunes of policy advocacy. As it has undertaken the difficult tasks of reform, TWN-Africa has been privileged to call on the Professor's experience of direct involvement in a similar exercise ofinstitutional reform in many settings.

We are proud to join in the celebration of such a remarkable life and look forward to the continued leadership and inspiration of Professor Sawyerr, especially in these turbulent times that call even more loudly for transformation.