Melody Millicent Danquah (6 January 1937 – 18 March 2016) was a
Ghanaian
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...
pilot. She was the first female pilot in Ghana and one of the earliest in Africa.
She followed in the footsteps of
Lotfia Elnadi who was the first Egyptian woman as well as the first woman from Africa to earn a pilot's license on 27 September 1933.
Early life
Melody Danquah was born in
Larteh Akuapem
Of the populated places in the eastern region of Ghana, Larteh Akuapem is the capital of the Benkum Division of the Akuapem Traditional Council. It lies on the east of the ridge on the Akonnobepow.
History
The name Larteh was derived from the ...
, on 6 January 1937 to Ibinijah Rexford Addo-Danquah, who was the illustrious Court Registrar and Arbitrator of Larteh. Her mother was Selina Gyamfi. Melody was the sixth of 10 siblings.
Education
Danquah was educated at the Methodist Primary and Middle schools in
Larteh
Larteh is a language of southeastern Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast i ...
and
Wesley Girls High School in
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 ...
. She was also a product of the Government Secretarial School.
Career
She was chosen among the first three women towards the end of 1963 to be trained in the
Ghana Air Force
The Ghana Air Force (GHF) is the aerial warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The GHF, along with the Ghanaian army (GA) and Ghanaian navy (GN), make up the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF), which are controlled ...
as pilots.
She successfully made the grade and the subsequent basic military training at the Ghana Military Academy. On 22 June 1964, Flt. Cadet Danquah flew solo for the first time in a
de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk aircraft, becoming the first Ghanaian to fly an aeroplane solo. She received her Wings qualifying her as a pilot from Kofi Baako who was the
Minister of Defence
A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...
on 15 April 1965. She ended her flying career in June 1968 and began to do administrative work in the Force. In 1984, she was discharged due to the state of her health. She received a Long Service award and The Efficiency Medal.
Life after active service
After she retired from the military, she worked for the
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен ...
for a brief period and then the National Service Secretariat. At the age of 60, she earned a Diploma in Bible Studies and Theology and began to preach to military audiences. She later joined the board of directors for the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.
Acknowledgements
Melody was honoured with The
Companion of the Order of the Volta
The Order of the Volta is an order of merit from the Republic of Ghana. It was instituted in 1960 and is awarded to people for their outstanding service to the country. in 2006, by President
John Kufuor
John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the President of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 7 January 2009. He was also Chairperson of the African Union from 2007 to 2008.
Kufuor's career has been sp ...
for being a courageous pacesetter.
She was mentioned by Mrs.
Rebeca Akufo-Addo, the first lady of Ghana during the 2017
International Women's Day
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...
celebrations for being an inspiration to women. The "Melody" is an ultramodern building facility for the Psychiatry Department of the
University of Ghana Medical School
The University of Ghana Medical School also UGMS is the medical school of Ghana's first public research institution, the University of Ghana. It is currently located at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. The medical school was first plann ...
at Korle-Bu in Accra. It was named after her, as she experienced some level of depression both during and after her active service.
References
External links
Melody Millicent Danquah, first female Ghanaian pilot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danqauah, Melody
1937 births
2016 deaths
Ghanaian aviators
Women aviators
Aviation pioneers
Ghana Air Force personnel
Recipients of the Order of the Volta