Eva Lokko

Eva Naa Merley Lokko (died 6 October 2016) was a Ghanaian civil servant, engineer and politician. She was the first woman to be chosen as the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Progressive People's Party.[1]

Eva Lokko
13th Director-General of the GBC
In office
August 2002 â€“ November 2005
Preceded bySeth Ago - Adjetey
Succeeded byYaw Owusu Addo
Personal details
Born
Eva Naa Merley Lokko
Died6 October 2016 (aged 64)
NationalityGhanaian 
Political partyProgressive People's Party
Spouse(s)Nii K. Bentsi-Enchill
Children2
Alma materWesley Girls Senior High School
OccupationCivil Servant, Politician
ProfessionEngineer

She partnered the flagbearer of the PPP, Paa Kwesi Nduom in the 2012 Presidential and parliamentary elections.[2][3] She was the first female Managing Director of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.[4]

Early life and education

Lokko was from a Ga-Adangbe ethnic group. Lokko attended Wesley Girls' High School in Cape Coast[5] where she was a student athlete and sports captain who competed and won trophies in hurdles, javelin 100-metres, relays and high jump.[6] She was an engineer by profession and held master's degree in Satellite Communications Engineering from the then Soviet Union (USSR)[6] and a master's degree in Intelligent Management Systems, System Analysis and Design from the United Kingdom.[1][2][6]

Working life

Lokko was the first Satellite Communications Engineer and the first woman engineer to be employed at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in 1972. She was part of the engineering team that installed and maintained Ghana's first colour television infrastructure in 1985.[7]

She worked in more than forty countries across the world in various capacities. She served as regional programmes coordinator of the United Nations Development Programme initiative for Internet development in Africa. She also served with the United Nations for thirteen years and as chair of the UN Federation of International Civil Servants Association and the United Nations Staff Council and as a member of the UNDP News Advisory Board.[5]

In 2002, she was appointed Director-General of the GBC, becoming the first and only woman to hold that position since the corporation was established in 1953.[7][8] She worked in that role until 2005 when she was replaced with Yaw Owusu Addo.[9]

Lokko was also the Chief Executive Officer of Totally Youth, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) based in Accra, Ghana.[1]

She was a member of the Regent University College of Science and Technology council, after her death the university immortalized her by instituting a scholarship scheme ''Eva Lokko Scholarship'' to be given out to brilliant but needy female student.[5][10]

Political career

Vice Presidential bid

She was a member of the Progressive People's Party.[4][11] In the lead to the 2012 Ghanaian Presidential election, she was chosen by the founder and flagbearer of the Progressive People's Party, Paa Kwesi Nduom as his running mate, making her the first woman to be selected as a Vice Presidential Candidate for the party.[1][12] At the end of the elections the incumbent President, John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress emerged winner with 5,574,761 votes whilst the PPP placed third with 64,362 votes. [13][14][15]

Member of parliament bid

Ahead of the 2016 elections, Lokko had declared her intention to stand for the parliamentary elections for Klottey Korley Constituency on the ticket of the PPP,[16][17] Until her death she was billed to compete in a tough contest against Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings of the NDC, daughter of Jerry Rawlings and Philip Addison of the NPP.[17][10] The election was subsequently won by Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings.[18]

Religious life

A Christian, Lokko was a member of the Methodist Church of Ghana. She was a member of the highest decision-making bodies of the church—Conference and Synod. She was also the chairperson of the Youth Advisory Board and served on other committees of the church in various capacities.[5][6] She also served as the church's National ICT consultant.[8]

Personal life

Lokko hailed from the Greater Accra Region of Ghana and was fluent in several local and international languages.[5] She spoke Ga, Twi, English, Russian and French.[2] She was married to Nii K. Bentsi-Enchill and together they had two children.[19][10]

Death and burial

She died on 6 October 2016 at the age of 64, in the United States of America where she was receiving treatment after a short battle with ill-health.[20][10][21] She was buried on 18 November 2016 at the Osu cemetery after a memorial service was held at the forecourt of the State House.[10][6][19] The service was attended by notable politicians and civil servants including the flagbearer of PPP, Paa Kwesi Nduom and his running mate Brigitte Dzogbenuku, Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman the then Minister of Education, Stephen Adei a former former Rector of the GIMPA and her contenders for the Klottey Korle constituency, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings of the NDC, daughter of former President Rawlings and Phillip Addison of the NPP. [10]

References
  1. "PPP Choses Eva Lokko; First Female Running Mate". spyghana.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  2. "Profile Announcement for Eva Naa Merley Lokko, Vice Presidential Candidate for the Progressive People's Party". www.modernghana.com. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  3. "PPP Choses Eva Lokko; First Female Running Mate Go to article". sturvs.com.gh. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  4. "PPP begins three-day mourning for Eva Lokko today". Daily Graphic (20198): 17. October 2016.
  5. Pascal (2016-10-07). "Profile of Ms Eva Lokko". News Ghana. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  6. "Eva Lokko goes home today - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  7. "New Boss for GBC....Previous One Fired!". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  8. "Eva Lokko, Biography". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  9. "GBC gets acting Director General". www.ghanaweb.com. 7 November 2005. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  10. Ofori, Solomon (2016-11-19). "Eva Lokko Laid To Rest". DailyGuide Network. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  11. Starfm (2016-10-06). "PPP's Eva Lokko dead". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  12. "Here are the female vice-presidential candidates in Ghana from 1996 to 2020". Pulse Ghana. 2020-07-07. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  13. "Ghana election: John Mahama declared winner". BBC News. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  14. "If 8-month-old PPP placed 3rd in 2012, imagine 2016 results - Mrs Nduom - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  15. "3 times Papa Kwesi Nduom run for president and failed". www.ghanaweb.com. 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  16. "Nduom endorses Eva Lokko for Klottey Korle seat". Graphic Online. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  17. "Klottey Korle PPP campaign team eulogises Eva Lokko". The Ghana Guardian News. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  18. Kumsah, Clement Edward (2016-12-08). "Korle Klottey: An NPP loss rather than an NDC win as Zanetor beats Addison & Nii Noi". Prime News Ghana. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  19. "Grief-stricken husband of Eva Lokko breaks down midway through tribute". Prime News Ghana. 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  20. Ghana, News (6 October 2016). "Former GBC Director General Ms Eva Lokko has died". Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  21. "Eva Lokko has died". Myjoyonline.com. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
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