Gladys Asmah

Gladys Asmah (16 October 1939 – 24 June 2014) was a Ghanaian politician and Entrepreneur. She was a former Minister of Fisheries as well as a member of parliament for the Takoradi Constituency.[1][2][3] She was also the former Minister for Women's Affairs under the Kufuor administration.[4]

Hon.

Gladys Asmah
Member of the Ghana Parliament
for Takoradi
In office
7 January 1997 – 6 January 2009
Preceded byTabitha Sybil Quaye
Succeeded byKwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah
Minister for Fisheries
In office
2005–2009
PresidentJohn Kufuor
Minister for Women and Children's Affairs
In office
2001–2005
PresidentJohn Kufuor
Personal details
Born(1939-10-16)16 October 1939
Cape Coast, Ghana
Died24 June 2014(2014-06-24) (aged 74)
Accra, Ghana
NationalityGhanaian
Political partyNew Patriotic Party
OccupationEntrepreneur

Early life and education

Mrs. Gladys Asmah, was born on 16 October 1939, at Cape Coast, in the Central Region. She started her primary education at Wesley Girls School and then to the Ghana National College, both in Cape Coast. After her secondary education, she worked briefly with the Ghana Railway Corporation and subsequently as a supervisor at the Laboratory and Quality Control Department of the Pioneer Tobacco Company (PTC), where she worked for six years.

Having been exposed to managerial training at the' PTC, she decided to pursue further studies in Britain. And so in June 1963, she left Ghana for the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, she attended Middlesex University, 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.[5]

When the Takoradi MP finally came to settle in Ghana, she 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.[5]

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.[5]

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; and chairman, Regional Implementation Committee, Women in Development.[6]

The rest -are board member, Fijai Secondary School; board member, Ghana National College; 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 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.[5]

Politics

She was a member of the New Patriotic Party.[7] 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.[8][9][10] 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 Easther 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.[11]

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%.[12]

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%.[13]

Death

Gladys Asmah died on 24 June 2014,[8] 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.[14][7]

References
  1. "Gladys Asmah is dead". Graphic Online. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  2. "Minister presents gifts to fishing communities in Mfantseman". www.fao.org. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  3. Africa, Daily Guide (1 June 2014). "Mrs Gladys Asmah". News Ghana. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  4. "Ghana's new ministers". 1 January 2001. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  5. "Mrs. Gladys Asmah, Former Minister of Women Affairs". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  6. "NPP Women's Wing Mourns Gladys Asmah". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  7. "Gladys Asmah passes on". Citi 97.3 FM – Relevant Radio. Always. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  8. "Gladys Asmah is dead".
  9. "57th Anniversary of China Celebrated". gh.china-embassy.org. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  10. "Young Christians School celebrate first Founders Day". BusinessGhana. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  11. FM, Peace. "Parliament - Takoradi Constituency Election 1996 Results". Ghana Elections - Peace FM. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  12. FM, Peace. "Parliament - Takoradi Constituency Election 2000 Results". Ghana Elections - Peace FM. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  13. FM, Peace. "Parliament - Takoradi Constituency Election 2004 Results". Ghana Elections - Peace FM. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  14. "Gladys Asmah buried". Graphic Online. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2020.

Sources
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