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Rt Rev. Dr Bliss Divine Agbeko, leads EPCG to greater heights
He drives as a hobby, plays table tennis as a pastime and loves writing as a leisure pursuit, but the strongest passion of the former farm labourer is to serve God and humanity.
Rt Rev. Dr Lt Colonel Bliss (rtd) Divine Agbeko assumed office as the new Moderator of the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPCG) after a festive induction service at the Dela Cathedral at Ho Kpodzi on Sunday.
The retired army officer was the immediate past District Pastor of the Accra New Town District of the church.
Background
He was born in 1963 to Togbe Dzokoto IV, of Adaklu-Ahunda, who was the Senior Divisional Chief of Adaklu Traditional Area and Madam Florence Mercy Abra Gle from Gbi-Kpoeta, all in the Volta Region.
Rev. Dr Agbeko was ordained as a Minister of the EPCG on August 22, 1992 and commissioned as an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces on August 1999.
He attended Kpedze Secondary School where he obtained the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level and proceeded to Kadjebi Secondary School for the Advanced Level.
He entered the Trinity Theological Seminary at Legon where he earned a Diploma in Theology and a Certificate in Ministry.
In 1994, he was admitted to the University of Ghana, Legon where he was awarded Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Religions in 1998.
While serving in the Ghana Armed Forces, Rev. Dr Agbeko trained as a Career Chaplain at the US Army Chaplaincy School at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina and later earned a Doctorate Degree in Ministry from the Erskine Theological Seminary, Due West, in the United States.
He progressed to train as a Clinical Counsellor at the Self-Regional Hospital, Greenwood in the United States.
Furthermore, he attended the Ghana Armed Forces Command Staff College (Junior Division) and received also a Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Administration from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in 2013.
Ministerial Experience
The versatile priest began his ministry as District Pastor at Mafi-Adidome in the Volta Region, where he served the church in that capacity from 1992 to 1994. He pastured the Abeka District of the EPCG in Accra from 1994 to 1998, and then worked as Chaplain at the Garrison Methodist Presbyterian Church (GMPC) at Burma Camp in Accra.
He enlisted into the officer corps of the Ghana Armed Forces and was commissioned on August 20, 1999, as a Lieutenant.
After commissioning, he continued to serve at the GMPC until September 2000, when he was assigned to the 6 Garrison Tamale (comprising 6 Battalion at Kamina Barracks, Airborne Force and the Airforce co-related at Bawah Barracks) as Chaplain.
In 2005, he was assigned the role of Administrative Officer at the Directorate of Religious Affairs, Burma Camp and Chaplain at GMPC until 2006, when he took up the duties of Chaplain as the 37 Military Hospital and Methodist Presbyterian Church at Negheli Barracks in Accra.
Rev. Dr Agbeko served the 37 Military Hospital until 2016 when he was re-assigned to the Military Academy and Training School and the Teshie Camp Methodist Presbyterian Church (TCMPC) as Chaplain, a position he held until 2018 when he retired from the military.
He served at various times as District Pastor of the Kisseman and Adentan Districts of the EPCG in Accra, after which he was appointed the pioneer Synod Moderator of the Meridian Presbytery of the church and served in that capacity from 2014 to 2019.
Before entering priesthood, Rev. Dr Agbeko worked as an evangelist of the EPCG at Dambai (now in the Oti Region) from 1983 to 1986 and also as a farm hand at the EPCG Agricultural Resettlement Project during the same period.
International Experience
His immense international experiences include: Second Minister, First Presbyterian Church, PCUSA Greenwood, USA; Pastor/Fundraiser of Erskine Theological Seminary, USA; Hospital Staff Chaplain, Self-Regional Healthcare, Greenwood.
In the military front, Rev. Dr Agbeko took part in United Nations (UN) Operations, MONUC GH 2, Peace Keeping in DR Congo in 2002; UN Operations, UNIFIL GH 10, Sierra Leone in 2004, UN Operations, UNIFIL GH 77, Lebanon 2013 and Liaison Officer, All African Conference of Military Chaplains, La Palm, Accra in 2013.
His publications include Biblical Theological and Psychological bases for Training Chaplains, Golden Principles for Self-Discovery, Improvement and Fulfilment, Pray But Pray Alright; and Evening Meal Divisional.
In a chat with The Spectator, Rev. Dr Agbeko, married with four children, said that his father had all along wanted him to become a lawyer, “but I also insisted that the Bible was a law book”.
The friendly priest said that his priorities as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the EPCG included leading the church in the will of God while working with all and sundry to revive it to greater heights.
He contended that that the military also needs “religious direction and guidance,” hence his decision to train as an army officer.
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the EPCG speaks Ewe, Twi and English.
He is the second native of Adaklu to lead the EPCG in that capacity, many decades after the Very Reverend Andreas Aku from Adaklu-Waya served the church as its first Moderator, and left office in 1922.
BY ALBERTO MARIO NORETTI
FEW miles from Damongo, in Ghana’s Savannah Region, is Nyange, a place which is divided by a busy major road from Tamale to Sawla, which looks abandoned because of the ruins of the buildings, but holds a history vast enough to have once anchored an entire kingdom.
Long before Damongo became the administrative heartbeat of Gonjaland, Nyange served as the spiritual and political centre of the Gonja Kingdom, the original seat of the Yagbonwura, home to ancestral palaces, ritual grounds, and the rituals that shaped kings.
For decades, Nyange drifted into silence, but after Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale I, the King and Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom, announced intentions to reconstruct elements of the old capital, I felt compelled to visit to see for myself what remained of this sacred landscape, and to understand why its revival matters now.
Walking through Nyange, I met a woman who we spent some time narrating briefly the unspoken chapters of Nyange history. The land according to her, still holds the outlines of what once defined a kingdom—the Gonja, the stone foundations of ancient palaces, sacred groves where rituals once echoed, and open courtyards where chiefs, land priests, and kingmakers shaped the affairs of the state—and the empty bricks and white dotted paint that host every late and Yagbonwura.
Nyange was the original home of the Ndewura Jakpa Palace, a towering symbol of power that stood until 1944, when Yagbonwura Awusi Ewuntomah of Daboya transferred the royal seat to Damongo. The administrative centre moved but Nyange’s spiritual authority never left.
Where Every King Begins and Ends His Journey
My visit revealed why no Gonja story is complete without Nyange. Its significance is anchored in traditions still observed today.
When a Yagbonwura passes, the first funerary rituals begin in Nyange before the body travels to the Royal Mausoleum in Mankuma. The journey follows an ancient path that deliberately avoids Sawla—a tradition safeguarded for generations.
Rites That Begin a Reign
In 2023, whiles covering the enskinment of the Yagbonwura, he first arrives in Nyange to begin his sacred initiation, where every Yagbonwura has to start the initiation.
These rites, performed only here, link the new king to the ancestry of Ndewura Jakpa. For centuries, Nyange was the permanent residence of successive Yagbonwuras, where its soil is layered with leadership, legacy, and the quiet footsteps of royalty.
A Heritage Landscape Waiting to Be Reimagined
As we moved through the community, it became clear that Nyange holds immense potential for cultural tourism, research, and documentation.
Still visible across the landscape are the ruins of palaces occupied by ancient Yagbonwuras, the tomb of Wasipewura Chinchanko of Daboya, remains of the stone palace of Yagbonwura Mahama Dagbonga of Bole, enskinment sites, sacred burial grounds, the Nyange Forest Reserve—long known for trees used in crafting royal coffins—and the homes of key custodians, including Nyangewura and Land Priest Vogu Jamani.
Nyange’s proximity to Mole National Park makes it ideal for an eco-cultural tourism circuit, weaving together wildlife, architecture, oral history, drumming, dance, and the lived memory of the Gonja people.
Local leaders are already discussing the creation of heritage trails, interpretive centres, and storytelling experiences led by community custodians.
Just beyond Nyange lies Larabanga, home to one of West Africa’s oldest Sudano-Sahelian mosques. Together, these two communities could anchor a cultural corridor capable of drawing visitors from across the world.
Larabanga offers architectural and religious significance, whiles Nyange offers political and spiritual heritage. Together, they tell a complete story of identity, power, belief, and continuity.
As I spoke with some people in Nyange, I could feel both urgency and hope, when they outlined a clear vision for the future by the efforts of the Yagbonwura to restore palace ruins, document sacred sites, establish cultural education and preservation programme, and develop sustainable tourism models that benefit residents.
But more than infrastructure, they spoke of identity—emphasising that, “our history is here.”
Leaving Nyange, I carried with me the feeling of a place on the brink of transformation, the past lingers in its broken walls and ancient pathways, but the future feels within reach—guided by royal leadership, community pride, and the quiet determination to revive a forgotten capital.
Nyange is not simply being restored, rather it is being reclaimed. And as the reconstruction efforts begin, the world may soon witness the rebirth of a capital that once shaped a kingdom and is ready to do so again.
From Geoffrey Buta, Nyange.
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Every morning begins the same way for Edwina Anokye-Bempah, with quiet devotion. It is her grounding ritual, a moment of reflection and gratitude before she steps into the dynamic, often unpredictable world of real estate brokerage.
By the time she arrives at the office, she has already set the tone for her day. She reviews the previous day’s tasks, checks what was accomplished and what still needs attention, and then drafts a new to-do list. For her, success is rooted in deliberate planning, discipline, and the commitment to follow through.
Today, Edwina stands out as one of Ghana’s promising real estate brokers, but she is also clear about the distinctions within her field. While many people casually use the term ‘realtor,’ she is quick to explain that only professionals registered with the National Association of Realtors can claim that title.
“Since I am not registered with the association, I am a real estate broker,” she says. It is a role she embraces wholeheartedly, facilitating transactions, connecting buyers and sellers, and ensuring clarity and integrity at every step.
Her journey into the industry took shape at MeQasa, an online platform dedicated solely to real estate. The platform exposed her to developers, agents, and the complexities of property transactions. She worked closely with developers and observed one recurring problem: clients often complained about agents who failed to respond, follow up, or provide accurate information.
With her background in sales and marketing, Edwina felt naturally drawn to the field. It was an industry where she believed she could make a meaningful, positive impact. Real estate, she came to learn, is far more than brick and mortar. It is about helping people secure one of the most important investments of their lives. This understanding shapes every decision she makes.
One of the most challenging tasks in her work is qualifying clients.
“A serious buyer must be willing, ready and able,” she explains. When one of these three qualities is missing, the transaction is likely to stall or collapse entirely.
On the seller’s side, due diligence is equally critical. Ownership disputes, land fraud, and unclear documentation remain some of the biggest risks in Ghana’s real estate sector.
Edwina understands the weight of the responsibility she carries. “The money involved is huge. These are people’s lifetime savings. Most people buy one home or maybe two in their entire lives. You cannot afford to make a mistake.”
Working in what many describe as a male-dominated field has never intimidated her. With an MBA in Marketing and extensive experience in sales roles including a stint as an Account Manager in an advertising agency, she has grown comfortable handling clients, negotiating deals, and presenting herself with confidence.
“My gender has never discouraged me,” she says. “What matters is hard work and ensuring that the client’s needs were met.”
The only occasional challenge, she admits, was maintaining professional boundaries when some men attempt to be overly familiar. Her solution is simple: stay professional and do not over-familiarise yourself with clients.
Her educational journey started in Kumasi, followed by Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High School, where she studied Agricultural Science. She continued the same at the University of Ghana before pursuing her master’s degree. After university, she worked on her uncle’s poultry farm before moving into advertising. Later, her role at MeQasa finally opened the door to the career she had long been unknowingly preparing for.
Over the years, Edwina has built a reputation not only for competence but also for care. She recalls one client in particular, an older man relocating to Ghana with no family in the country. After helping him secure two homes, she became the closest person he could rely on. One evening at around 8 p.m., he called to say he felt unwell. Without hesitation, she drove to his home and rushed him to the hospital. Doctors later told her that any delay could have been fatal.
For Edwina, that moment affirmed that the job goes far beyond selling property. “It doesn’t end with the sale,” she says. “You have to look out for people.”
Her influence also extends to younger people observing her journey. She is known for her tenacity, her refusal to give up on clients or tasks, and her resilience in the face of challenges. Those who work around her learn to push forward regardless of setbacks.
“If a deal doesn’t go as expected, you don’t look back. You find a way.”
Beyond real estate, Edwina serves as an interpreter in her church, a role that dramatically boosted her confidence. What began with trembling legs has evolved into a boldness that reflects in her public speaking and client interactions. She credits her growth to God, her senior pastor, her mother, siblings, friends, and her dedicated team — “an amazing circle,” she calls them.
Today, she is also a partner in a showroom business dealing in vanity units, sanitary wares, and tiles, an extension of her real estate insight and experience.
For young people aspiring to join the industry, her advice is clear: “Learn the industry beyond selling. Understand transactions, build strong relationships, and always do your due diligence.”
For Edwina Anokye-Bempah, real estate is more than business; it is trust, service, and impact, one client at a time.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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