Elizabeth Akua Ohene, born on January 24, 1945, in Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana, is a prominent Ghanaian journalist and politician. She attended Mawuli School and later the University of Ghana, where she graduated with a B.A. (Honors) degree in English in 1967.
Furthering her education, she obtained a Mass Communication Certificate from the University of Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana, USA, and was a Press Fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, from January to June 1983.
“Ɔsanso kɔɔ Indiana Ɔpɛpɔn, wɔ Bloomington, Indiana, United States, ɛhɔ na ɔnyaa Mass Communication Adesua Ademe. Ɔyɛɛ Press Fellow fi January kosi June 1983 wɔ Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, wɔ United Kingdom.” – According to Bobby The Blogger ( Twi statement)
Ohene made history in 1979 by becoming the first woman in Africa to edit a major national daily newspaper, the Daily Graphic. Her tenure as editor was marked by bold criticism of the government, leading her to exile due to the regime of Jerry Rawlings.
In London, she continued her journalistic career, publishing and editing the weekly news magazine Talking Drums, which exposed human rights abuses in Ghana.
She also served as the Deputy Editor of Daily Programmes in the African Service division of BBC World Service and was a member of the award-winning BBC Focus on Africa team.
In the political arena, Ohene served as the Minister of State for Tertiary Education under President John Kufuor and was the spokesperson for his administration.
In 2021, she was appointed Chair of the Board of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Throughout her career, Ohene has been a vocal advocate for press freedom and social issues in Ghana. She has contributed significantly to the Ghanaian socio-political landscape through her literary works and public commentary, including her critical views on the affirmative action bill and Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s galamsey exposé.
Elizabeth Akua Ohene – A first-class head makes a first-class school
“My father was a headmaster, so the subject of school heads has been on my mind lately. Recently, I attended the funeral of a renowned headmistress in Accra, followed by the 60th anniversary of a school in the Volta Region.
The funeral took place at Christ the King Church in Accra on Friday, April 26, 2024. Mrs. Elizabeth Joyce Sowah, née Essilfie, known to her friends and me as Ewuradwoa, passed away on February 20, 2024, just weeks before her 80th birthday. Ewuradwoa attended Holy Child School, and her classmates, HOPSA 62, organized a special mass on March 25, 2024, on what would have been her 80th birthday. However, the funeral at Christ the King was dominated by alumni, former teachers, year groups, and even current students of St. Mary’s Senior High School, where Ewuradwoa served as headmistress from 1980 to 2000.
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Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine anyone leading a school for 20 years. Yet, my generation wouldn’t find this unusual, as we grew up with schools led by legendary figures for decades. No one questioned how long Miss Anderson had been at Aburi Girls, Bartels at Mfantsipim, or W.P. Trost and Banini at Mawuli School. But times have changed, and headmasters now rarely stay at one school for long.
From 1980 to 2000, Mrs. Elizabeth Sowah was headmistress of St. Mary’s Senior High School, where she not only asserted her authority but also transformed a small, quiet school into one of the most sought-after secondary schools in Accra. Before her tenure, St. Mary’s had been run by expatriate Roman Catholic nuns, and Mrs. Sowah was its first Ghanaian headmistress.”