Mrs. Quashigah Receives Doctorate In Humanities

The Staff and Management of Ambar Quality Foods Limited have joined the numerous of friends and sympathisers to congratulate Dr. Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah on her decoration with a Doctorate Degree at convocation held last Saturday 30th August 2014, at the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, University of Ghana.

Dr. Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah was among 16 highly distinguished personalities including Trade Unionist, Ministers of State, Politicians, Financial Experts, Entrepreneurs, Journalists, Politicians and Scientists who were honoured with various fields of Honorary Doctorate by the Dayspring Christian University, Mississipi (USA) in acknowledgement of their enormous contributions to the development and advancement of humanity.

In a citation read in her honour, the Convocation Conferrer from Dayspring Christian University, Rev. Prof. Edwin Nmetteh Koley, who represented the President, Dr. Gary Wayne Barkman, described Dr. Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah as an “illustrious Stateswoman who rose from being an expert in Hospitality Industry and transforming into a Food Expert, Nutritionist, Healthy Lifestyle Advocate, Entrepreneur, Industrialist, Philanthropist and most importantly paving way for the girl child to emulate her legacy”.

She was also noted for her brilliance in Food Transformation such as Food Processing, Perseveration, Presentation, Packaging and Nutrition for the last two decades. In the year 2004, she invented cassava flour into composites which were widely used in pastries and cake making such as Fortified Cassava Chocolate Cake and Fortified Flour Chips as an innovation to the admiration of many Ghanaians.

According to Dayspring Christian University “among the many storied achievements of Dr. Gertrude Quashigah includes attending many courses and training in the following institutions both home and abroad; the National Vocational Training Institute (Gh), City & Guilds (Gh), Management & Productivity Institute (MDPI-Gh), Empretec Ghana, Pegados Cakes & Pastries Catering School (GH), EDC Consulting Limited (GH), Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Foods and Drugs Authority and the University of the Arab Republic of Egypt,”.

Dr. Quashigah is also a recipient of the Ghana Star Award for Packaging Excellence, Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs Award for Women Empowerment, TV Africa Obaa Mo Gold Award for Women Empowerment, The People's Service and Fellowship Award for National and Distinguished Service from the Country Awards Council, Ghana and a Gold Medal in Ghanaian Dishes when she led a team of Ghanaian Chefs to Info Chef Competition in South Africa in 2005.

Among the several professional affiliations through which she has contributed immensely to national development are Ghana Export Promotion Council, Association of Ghana Industries, Ghana Chamber of Commerce, the Country Awards Council, Ghana, Ghana Chefs Associations, South African Chefs Association, World Association of Chefs Society, and the African Hebrew Development Agency in Israel.

The University further expressed overwhelming joy about the laurels of Dr. Gertrude Quashigah citing that “few if any at all have served so distinctively and so well in their field of endeavour hence utilising the opportunity exposed to her by catering for the following very important personalities on their visit to

Ghana including Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of Britain, former President George W. Bush and Wife Laura, former President Thomas Yayi Boni and President Blaise Compaore”. She also catered for Former President John Agyekum Kufuor for 8 years.

The Dayspring Christian University further mentioned without mincing words that “Dr. Gertrude Quashigah is a strong and a noble woman whose quest to serve the nation is impeccable adding that even in the face of most challenging times in her life she availed herself to serve mother Ghana”.

Dr. Gertrude Quashigah is on record of taking a franchise to produce local chips and fruit juice from farm produce for the Africa Cup of Nations during Ghana CAN 2008 and further catered for the Ghana National Supporters Union during the World Cup in South Africa 2010 (At a time the late Husband had passed on) and the just ended World Cup Brazil in 2014.

Through Ambar Quality Foods Limited operations, Dr. Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah served the following State and National Events, Multinational Companies and Diplomatic Missions such as Castle End of Year Parties, Sectional Addresses, Independence Day events, State Banquettes and State Cock Tails. Others are Ministry of Science and Environment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Tourism, Ghana Trade Fair Company, Ghana Commercial Bank, Ghana Water Company Limited, GPHA and Agricultural Development Bank.

The rest are Ghana Music Awards, SWAG AWARDS, GONGOO Awards, MTN end of year parties, UNIDO Conferences, Food and Agric Show (Faagro), US/African Sister Cities Conference, PAN African International Copyright Conference, Home Coming Summit Ghana and Discovery Channels. And lastly MTN, Ecobank, UBA, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Aid to Artisan Ghana, Charter House, US Embassy and UNIDO.

Dr. Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah also participated in Ghana International Trade Fairs, Ghana Health Fairs, Food and Agric Show – Ghana, Ghana Investment Promotion Council Fair, Can 2008 Exhibition in Ghana, African Big Seven in South Africa (2008, 2009, 2010, and 2013) and World Association of Chefs Exhibition in South Africa. The rest are South African Chefs Association Exhibition for Product Sampling and Food Competition, Hospitality Fair in Morocco, World Cup 2010 Exhibition for Agro Food Processing Products in South Africa and Food Processing Fair in Alberta – Canada where she represented Ghana.

She is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ambar Quality Foods Limited, Founder and Executive Director of Healthy Living Foundation, Patron of Ghana Chefs Associations and South Africa Chefs Associations. She once worked with Unilever and Nestle Ghana Limiteds as a distributor.

The C.E.O of Ambar Quality Foods Limited has also featured on Choice Fm Food Gallery, Asempa FM Health Talk, TV 3 Issues of life, TV Africa Obaa Mbo and TV 3 Masem.

Dr. Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah was born on 1st February 1960 at Dzelukope in Keta in the Volta Region and graduated from Keta Secondary Senior High School where she read Home Science (Food Science and Nutrition) and emerged as the best in the Volta Region at the time. She is Wife of former Minister of Health and Agriculture of the Republic of Ghana Hon. Major Courage E. K. Quashigah of blessed memory.

“It is now time to grow and impact into the youth, Ghana today and tomorrow urging the girl child to be innovative, pursue understudying and be patient to go through lifetime transitions” Dr. Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah has remarked. She added “I have dedicated this Award to humanity”. She has however fervently pledged to continue the works of the late husband in the areas of Food Security, Healthy Lifestyle, Regenerative Health and Nutrition, Youth Development, Holistic Education, Leadership and Governance.

Congratulations Dr. Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah, FGNAHAF. The Staff and Management of Ambar Quality Foods Limited are proud of you. The sky is the limit! Ayekoo!!

Signed
Kobla Asamani
Director of Operations of Ambar Quality Foods Limited