Gladys Asmah (16 October 193924 June 2014) was a
Ghanaian politician and Entrepreneur. She was a former
Minister
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
of Fisheries as well as a member of parliament for the
Takoradi Constituency. She was also the former Minister for Women's Affairs under the former
President Kufuor administration.
Early life and education
Mrs. Gladys Asmah (born on 16 October 1939), at
Cape Coast
Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...
, in the
Central Region. She went to
Wesley Girls High School for her primary education and continue to
Ghana National College
Ghana National College is a senior high school in Cape Coast, Ghana.
Overview
Ghana National College was founded on 20 July 1948, staffed by dismissed teachers from St Augustine's College and Mfantsipim School.''Hon. Lee Ocran, Member of Par ...
, both in Cape Coast.
She worked with the
Ghana Railway Corporation
Ghana Railway Corporation operates the railways of Transport in Ghana, Ghana. The Ghana Railway Company Limited is a public-sector body with responsibility for the efficient management of the national rail system so as to enhance the smooth mo ...
and subsequently as a supervisor at the Laboratory and Quality Control Department of the Pioneer Tobacco Company (PTC), for six years.
Mrs. Asmah left Ghana in June 1963 to pursue further studies in
United Kingdom. She attended
Middlesex University
Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...
, formerly known as
Hendon College of Technology, and the Leeds College of Education and Home Economics and qualified as a Member of the Institutional Management Association of
London.
Entrepreneur career
After her training, she worked with the
British Council as an assistant manager at the Overseas' Students Centre,
Portland Palace,
London, Whilst a student in
London, she decided to specialize in the field of dressmaking and therefore familiarized herself with fashion organisations. Mrs. Asmah gathered a few machines and started making nightgowns and petticoat in
Birmingham.
She finally came to settle in
Ghana, and registered a factory as a partnership and later in 1975 incorporated it as a limited liability Company As an advocate of women emancipation, Mrs. Asmah supported the Tarkwa women Generating income (TWIGA) to secure financial assistance to manufacture palm oil.
When the Social Welfare Department set up the Women Training institute at the Takoradi Neighborhood Center to train girls in vocational subjects, she consented and readily offered her workshop to train young women in the area.
Mrs. Asmah is associated with several business and public organisations; she is the chairperson, Management Board, Takoradi Women Training Institute; board member, Ahantaman Rural Bank-, second vice-president,
Association of Ghana Industries Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is the umbrella body that regulates the activities of industries in Ghana. The body also lobbies the Government of Ghana on issues that affect industries in the country.
Industrial conference in China
The ass ...
; and chairman, Regional Implementation Committee, Women in Development.
The rest -are board member,
Fijai Secondary School
Fijai Senior High School, formerly Fijai Secondary School, is a co-educational senior high school located in the Western Region of Ghana. The name Fijai is from the native dialect "Afei Gyae Me", which literally means "Now, leave me alone".
H ...
; board member,
Ghana National College
Ghana National College is a senior high school in Cape Coast, Ghana.
Overview
Ghana National College was founded on 20 July 1948, staffed by dismissed teachers from St Augustine's College and Mfantsipim School.''Hon. Lee Ocran, Member of Par ...
; Member, Western Regional Consultative Council and Sector Committee chairman, Women Affairs Committee, New Patriotic Party (NPP). The MP for Takoradi has attended several conferences overseas. These include a seminar on New Trends in Textile and Garment Industry,
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...
in 1994; seminar on Aid to Artisans,
Hartford, Connecticut,
U.S.A. and Seminar on Export Financing,
USAID Entrepreneurs International Conference for Women entrepreneurs,
New Delhi,
India in 1981.
Politics
She was a member of the
New Patriotic Party.
She became a member of parliament for
Takoradi from 7 January 1997 to 6 January 2009, a Minister of Women and Children Affairs between 2001 and 2005 and
Minister of Fisheries from 2005 to 2009.
Asmah was a member of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana.
During the 1996 Ghanaian General Elections, she polled 25,579 votes out of the 38,036 valid votes cast representing 56.80% over his opponents Esther Nkansah an
NDC member who polled 10,342 votes, Alex Fosu Blankson who polled 1,323 votes and Timothy Norbert Kublenu who also polled 792 votes.
She polled 26,431 votes out of the 35,949 valid votes cast representing 73.50% over his opponents Crosby Mochia an NDC member who polled 6,853 representing 19.10%, Eustace Haizel a CPP member who polled 1,510 representing 4.20%, Elizabeth Comfort Baidoo an NRP member who polled 878 votes representing 2.40% and Samuel Ekow Renner a PNC member who polled 277 representing 0.80%.
During the 2004 Elections, she polled 25,714 votes out of the 36,392 valid votes cast representing 66.80% over her opponents Esthher Lily Nkansah an NDC member who polled 7,894 votes representing 20.50%, Francis Kobina Eghan a member 1,048 votes, Eustace Haizel a CPP member who polled 1,296 votes representing 3.40%, Godwill Abakah a IND member who polled 220 votes representing 0.60%, Ivor Tackie Adams a PNC member who polled 191 votes representing 0.50% and Johannes Kojo Scheck an IND member who polled 62 votes representing 0.20%.
Death
Gladys Asmah died on 24 June 2014,
at the
Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra where she had been hospitalized for two weeks. She was buried in Takoradi after her funeral on 1 November 2014.
References
Sources
Gladys AsmahGhanaWeb.com
Gladys Asmah DeathMyjoyonline.com
External links
Ghana government site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asmah, Gladys
Ghanaian MPs 1997–2001
Ghanaian MPs 2001–2005
Ghanaian MPs 2005–2009
New Patriotic Party politicians
21st-century Ghanaian women politicians
20th-century Ghanaian women politicians
Fisheries ministers of Ghana
Women's ministers of Ghana
Women government ministers of Ghana
Women members of the Parliament of Ghana
1939 births
2014 deaths
Alumni of Middlesex University
People educated at Wesley Girls' Senior High School
People from Central Region (Ghana)
Ghanaian Christians
Ghana National College alumni