NPP stalwart Glady's Asmah dies

Information reaching Myjoyonline.com indicates former Minister of Fisheries in the John Kufuor-led administration and member of the Council of Elders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mrs Gladys Asmah, has passed away.

She was reported to have died on Sunday at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra where she was receiving treatment for a heart-related illness.

Reports say she had been in coma at the Cardio Centre of the hospital for the past week.

She would have turned 75 in October this year.
In 2008, she made a strong case to be nominated running mate for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, but was unsuccessful.

Mrs. Gladys Asmah won the Takoradi seat with as much as 76% of total votes when the NPP was in opposition.

In Parliament she was the Deputy Minority Leader from 1996 to 2000.She retired from active politics in 2008.

Until her death, she was a Member of the Council of Elders of the NPP where she played a role in the Vetting Committee of the party.

The 'Iron Lady', as she was called, was Member of Parliament for Takoradi and the first Minister of Women and Children's affairs, now Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection.

Mrs Asmah's father, Nana Asiebu Amenfi, who together with J.B. Danquah from the United Party (UP) tradition were among a six-member advisory body put together by Governor Sir Arden Clarke for advise on national issues.

Among the achievements of Mrs. Asmah are a programme to bring trafficked Ghanaian children back home, the liberation of some Trokosi women from shrines and the assistance given to 12,000 women farmers to go into staple food production, processing and income generating activities in the northern parts of the country . Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | [email protected]