Media & Journalism
Landmark
Elizabeth Akua Ohene
born 1945
The first woman in Africa to edit a major national daily
Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the Ghana Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
She took charge of the Daily Graphic in 1979 — the first woman anywhere in Africa to edit a national daily. Criticising Rawlings cost her the country; the BBC's Focus on Africa gained her.
Elizabeth Akua Ohene was born on 24 January 1945 and in 1979 became Editor of the Daily Graphic, the first woman to hold the post and the first woman in Africa to edit a major national daily newspaper.
She criticised the government of Jerry Rawlings and went into exile in 1982, joining the BBC, where she became a central figure on the award-winning Focus on Africa programme and deputy editor of the BBC Africa Service. She later served as Minister of State for Tertiary Education under John Kufuor, and in 2021 was appointed chair of the board of trustees of SSNIT.
She criticised the government of Jerry Rawlings and went into exile in 1982, joining the BBC, where she became a central figure on the award-winning Focus on Africa programme and deputy editor of the BBC Africa Service. She later served as Minister of State for Tertiary Education under John Kufuor, and in 2021 was appointed chair of the board of trustees of SSNIT.
- Wikipedia — Elizabeth Akua Ohene
- News Ghana — Elizabeth Akua Ohene: a trailblazer in journalism and politics
- Asaase Radio — Six interesting things you probably didn't know about Elizabeth Ohene
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