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Mama Dzidoasi: A rising Queen of Substance
At a tender age of 19, while studying Marketing at the then Institute of Professional Studies (now University of Professional Studies, Accra), Ms Claudia Etornam Kudzi (as she then was) was enstooled Mama Dzidoasi I, Queen of Abansi-Asedukluvi in the Gbi Traditional Area of the Volta Region.
By that title, she is a Sub-Divisional Queen of Gbi Abansi.
The young and beautiful queen completed her course in 2010, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and later acquired a degree in law at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) at Greenhill, near Accra.
Meanwhile, between studying marketing and law, Mama Dzidoasi was awarded Diploma in Commonwealth Youth Programme by the University of Ghana, Legon, in 2008.
She is currently pursuing a Barrister-at-Law degree at the Ghana Law School, Makola, in Accra.
Born in Hohoe on November 29, 1986, Mama Dzidoasi, a product of Ho Mawuli School, is now serving her second term as Chairman of the Volta Region Lands Commission.
Even though she considers baking a hobby, she has managed to turn that pastime into a lucrative business and is now the owner of E Cakes Ghana, a baking company with a shop in Accra.
The elegant sub-divisional Gbi Abansi queen is a royal from both the paternal and maternal sides.
Her paternal grandfather, the late Mr Felix Yao Kudzi was the first Asofoatse of Gbi-Abansi while her maternal great grandfather, Mr Daniel Zikpi Anyigba was the first Asafoatse of Gbi Kpeme
Mama Dzidoasi is the mother to Golda Klenam Afua-Sampo Dogbatse, who was born in 2014.
The queen is admired and revered for her enormous developmental roles from the day she occupied the stool.
In 2007, for instance, she co-organised a seminar for chiefs and queens of Hohoe Municipal Area as part of the Ghana @50 Celebration.
She successfully solicited support from the Austrian Embassy in Accra, through the Volta Foundation, to build a six-unit environmentally-friendly latrine for the people of Abansi-Adzage Kofe.
Mama Dzidoasi again secured support from Tigo and the Ghana AIDS Commission, and through collaboration with the Ghana Education Service and her office, Dzidoasi Community Development Project, organised an AIDS Day quiz to mark World AIDS Day, for Junior High Schools in the Hohoe municipality in 2012.
In 2019, the queen was a member of the Gbidukorza (Gbi Festival) National Steering Committee and coordinated the Miss Gbi Beauty Contest.
It was all pomp and pageantry when the former board member of the St Theresa’s College of Education, Hohoe, launched the 15th anniversary celebration at Hohoe on Sunday.
The grand event is slated for mid-2022.
In a chat with The Spectator, Mama Dzidoasi said that supporting communities with library and ICT projects would continue to be part of her prioritised ones.
She announced that GH¢15, 000 had already been raised as seed money for the area’s breast cancer fund project, and pledged to continue to support young women to acquire entrepreneurial skills to make them financially self-reliant.
From Alberto Mario Noretti, Hohoe
The Vice President, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called for stronger action to promote gender equity and create more opportunities for women in the workplace.
She made the call in a Facebook post after joining staff at the Presidency of Ghana to mark International Women’s Day.
The celebration was held under the theme “From Commitment to Action: Promoting Equity for Every Woman in the Workplace” and focused on recognising the achievements of women while reflecting on the work needed to ensure equal opportunities.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang extended warm wishes to women across Ghana and noted that women have always played key roles in the country’s communities and economic activities.
According to her, women in the past served as healers, traders and queen mothers who contributed to leadership and governance in traditional societies.
She explained that Ghana’s cultural history shows that women have long provided knowledge, leadership and innovation to help develop communities.
The Vice President however noted that current disparities require society to examine systems and structures that may have limited opportunities for women.
She stressed that advancing gender equity will require deliberate actions and the mentoring of young women to prepare them for leadership roles.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang recognised women whose work takes place in markets, streets and small trading spaces across the country.
According to her, these women form the backbone of local economies and continue to demonstrate resilience despite the difficult conditions they face.
She commended women working at the Presidency for their dedication and leadership and reaffirmed the need to promote respect, fairness and opportunity for every woman.
The Vice President further called on both men and women to work together to break barriers and ensure that women can fully contribute to Ghana’s development.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
