Rebecca Akufo-Addo

Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo (née Griffiths-Randolph; born 1951) [1] is a Ghanaian public figure and the current First Lady of Ghana[2][3] as the wife of President Nana Akufo-Addo, 5th President of the 4th Republic of Ghana.[4]

Rebecca Akufo-Addo
First Lady of Ghana
Assumed role
7 January 2017
PresidentNana Akufo-Addo
Preceded byLordina Mahama
Personal details
Born
Rebecca Naa Okaikor Griffiths-Randolph

(1951-03-12) March 12, 1951
NationalityGhanaian
Spouse(s)Nana Akufo-Addo
Children5 daughters
ParentsJacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph (father)
Frances Phillipina Griffiths-Randolph (mother)
EducationWesley Grammar School
Known forRebecca Akufo-Addo Foundation

Early life

Rebecca Akufo-Addo was born on the 12th of March 1951 as the daughter of the judge, Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana in Third Republic and Frances Phillipina Griffiths-Randolph (née Mann).[2] She attended Achimota Primary School and Wesley Grammar School, both in Accra.[5]

Career

Rebecca Akufo-Addo furthered her education at the Government Secretarial School where she qualified as a secretary. She worked at the Merchant Bank in Ghana and later relocated to United Kingdom. She then worked as a legal secretary for Clifford Chance/Ashurst Morris Crisp, multinational law firms in the United Kingdom.[6]

Rebecca Akufo-Addo Foundation/ Charity works

In November 2016, she made a donation of bags of rice, cartons of milo, gallons of cooking oil, bag of sugar, boxes of noodles, toiletries, detergents, boxes of tooth paste and cartons of drinks to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital. This was to help with personal hygiene of the inmates.[7]

In 2017 and 2020, she donated food items to Ga Mashie and Tema Traditional Councils respectively to support in the celbration of their annual Homowo festival.[8][9]

In 2017, she founded the Rebecca Akufo-Addo foundation, a non-governmental organization to enhance efforts of government amongst Ghanaian women and children. In November 2017, the Rebecca foundation signed a deal with Licang District Experimental School in Qingdao, China. This was for an exchange program that would each year enable ten students from both countries to visit the other. This was a move would enhance academic, sports and cultural harmony between students of both countries.[10]

In October 2018, The Rebecca Foundation rolled out the ''Learning to read, reading to learn'' project. This was to instill a culture of learning in children to enhance literacy. Some of the goals of the project were to build libraries across the country and introduce school and child friendly programs to enable children learn to read.[11]

In November 2018, the Foundation launched the 'Because I want to be' project. It provides a cushion for underprivileged girls in society and guarantees continuous education and skills training for female school dropouts.[12]

The foundation built and commissioned a new Pediatric and Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in 2019.[13] In January 2019, she launched the Free to Shine campaign. This was to stop mother-to-child transmission of AIDS and was in line with the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV and AIDS (OAFLA) drive.[14]

In June 2019, the foundation presented six ambulances to some healthcare organizations to enhance the delivery of their services.[15] The ''Save the Child, Save the Mother'' project established both a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) and a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. It was sponsored by the foundation together with the Multimedia Group and The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hopital and supported by the Manhyia Palace and the Government of Japan. The project was geared towards reducing maternal and infant mortality.[16]

In September 2019, she made an appeal for the empowerment of women, at the United Nations General Assembly. This would make it possible for them to impact more on the welfare of their families and communities. It was at a side event put together by the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) and themed “Renewing commitment towards enhancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Africa”.[17]

In January 2020, the foundation's women empowerment program, the Terema Women's Empowerment Initiative, in conjunction with the National Board for Small Scale Industries, trained women in soap making.[18] In February 2020, the Rebecca Foundation,through the ‘Enhancing the Youth through Education and Health (EYEH) Soup Kitchen’ project, made a donation of assorted food items worth about GH¢15,000 to some street children in Accra.[19] In April 2020, the foundation made a donation of assorted items through its 'Relief Boxes Challenge' to the SOS children's Village. This initiative was in partnership with the government to help groups manage through the partial lockdown better.[20]

In August 2020, Rebecca Akufo-Addo made a donation of $20,000 to help Emmanuel Apraku,a pencil artist treat a liver disease he was battling.[21] [22][23]

In the same month of August 2020 she donated temperature guns to the Ghana Library Board, to be shared to the libraries across the country. This was to help curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic by checking the temperatures of people who came to use the libraries.[24]

In September 2020, she donated some items to the University of Ghana Hospital. The items included five (5) beds sets, powdered soap, baby diapers, blankets, bedsheets, patient monitors, thermometer guns, 20 gallons of hand sanitizer, nose masks and delivery bowls.[25]

Personal life

Rebecca and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo have been married for 22 years and in 2017 they celebrated their 20th Anniversary.[26] They have five daughters and five grandchildren.[27]

Rebecca Akufo-Addo was installed as the Development Queen mother of Ada Traditional Area at the 82nd anniversary celebration of Ada Asafotufiami festival in August 2019 and is known by the stool name Naana Ode Opeor Kabukie I.[28]

Akufo-Addo is a member of the Accra Ridge Church and the patron of the Infanta Malaria, a charity organization dedicated to the prevention of Malaria in children.[6]

References
  1. "7 facts about First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo on her 68th birthday". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  2. Kumasi (7 October 2012). "About the NPP: Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo". Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  3. "Pray for Akufo-Addo and the NPP – Rebecca Akufo-Addo". www.ghanaweb.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-09. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  4. GhanaWeb (7 December 2016). "National Results For Ghana Presidential Election 2016". Ghana. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  5. "Meet the incoming first family". kessbenfm.com. 30 December 2016. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  6. "Profile of Ghana's First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  7. "Accra Psychiatric Hospital receives donation from Rebecca Akufo-Addo". Prime News Ghana. 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  8. "Rebecca Akufo-Addo donates to Ga Mashie Homowo | Philanthropy Space™ GHANA [AISTIPHI]". Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  9. "Rebecca Donates Towards Tema Homowo". DailyGuide Network. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  10. Dogbevi, Emmanuel (2017-11-29). "Rebecca Foundation secures exchange programme in China for Ghanaian pupils". Ghana Business News. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  11. "Rebecca Foundation launches project To inculcate culture of reading in children". www.graphic.com.gh. 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  12. "Rebecca Foundation launches 'Because I Want To Be' project". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  13. Starrfmonline. "First lady commissions new Rebecca Akufo-Addo PICU at Korle Bu | Starr Fm". Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  14. "Her Excellency, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, First lady of Ghana launches the Free to Shine Campaign". West Africa AIDS Foundation. 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  15. "Rebecca Foundation presents ambulances to six health institutions". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  16. "FIRST LADY AND LADY JULIANA INAUGURATE NEW MOTHER AND BABY UNIT AT KATH - Government of Ghana". www.ghana.gov.gh. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  17. "Empower women to contribute towards welfare of families, communities - First Lady". www.graphic.com.gh. 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  18. "Rebecca Foundation equips 45 women with soap-making skills". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  19. "First Lady supports street children". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  20. "Rebecca Foundation 'Relief Boxes Challenge' donates to SOS Villages". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  21. Jr, Kwame Sarfo. "First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo donates $20,000 to ailing pencil artist | TheUrbanAfrica". Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  22. "Rebecca Akufo-Addo donates $20,000 to 'sick' pencil artist". Pulse Ghana. 2020-08-20. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  23. "First Lady donates $20,000 to ailing pencil artist". www.ghanaweb.com. 2020-08-20. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  24. "First Lady Donates Thermometer Guns To Ghana Library Authority". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  25. "First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo visits University of Ghana Hospital | University of Ghana". www.ug.edu.gh. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  26. Yen.com.gh (2017-04-12). "20 photos to celebrate Nana Addo and Rebecca Akufo-Addo's 20th wedding anniversary". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  27. Dogbevi, Emmanuel (2017-01-07). "Profile of Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo". Ghana Business News. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  28. "Ghana's First Lady installed as Development Queen mother of Ada". www.ghananewsagency.org. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
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