The member of Parliament for the Obom Domeabra constituency in the Greater Accra region, Sophia Karen Edem Ackuaku has been adjudged winner of the Africa Iconic Female Parliamentarian of the year award for 2023.
She emerged as winner of the coveted Africa Iconic Female Parliamentarian of the year category among several other women from the continent in the African Iconic Women Recognition award AIWRA 2023 after going through vigorous democratic process of nomination, screening and voting.
Ms Sophia Karen Ackuaku who made the shortlist of five remaining nominees beat off the completion from four other female lawmaker nominees, two from Nigeria, one each from Kenya and South Africa respectively to emerge victorious.
Votes
Hon Sophia Ackuaku pulled 329 votes out of a total 694 representing 47% of the total public votes cast against Senator Uche Ekwenife of Nigeria who pulled 163 votes representing 23%, Hon Nkeiruka Nyejeocha also of Nigeria who got 162 votes (23%) , Hon Busia Ruth Odinga of Kenya who had 20 votes (3%) and Rt. Hon Ms Mapisa Nqakula of South Africa who also had 20 votes representing 3%.
The award
The Africa Iconic Female Parliamentarian of the year is awarded to a female parliamentarian in Africa, a woman in leadership who has initiated all manner of innovations to ensure improvement in the economy of her country and Africa as a whole.
The award vetting panel has a mandate to ensures that recipients of the award is that woman that has lived traits of kindness and commitment of service to people, exhibits constant desire to improve quality of life in society and create opportunities for future generations through the positions she held.
Appreciation
An elated Sophia Ackuaku in an acceptance video expressed gratitude to the organisers for the award which she noted will motivate her to do more for the development of Ghana and Africa as a whole in transforming lives.
The MP who is a social worker, a philanthropist and a politician said she is a firm believer in investing in people as a virtue that is important than anything else.
She dedicates the award to former President John Dramani Mahama and his spouse Lordina Mahama, Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Alban Kingsford Bagbin who gave her the opportunity to shine, her constituents, her children and family, Dr Fazam and the Future Trends Collective Rights of Africa fraternity, OLA Girls, Mrs Kwakye and family, Ghanaian children, and her colleagues MPs and staff of parliament, all Ghanaian women and the voting public who voted for her among the several finalists.
Hon Sophia Ackuaku is expected to formally receive the award on June 1, during at the awards event to be held at Abuja, Nigeria.
Profile
Hon Sophia Ackuaku is a product of OLA Girls, Accra Workers College, School of Social Works, Ghana Institute of Journalism, Nalitary Institute, University of USA, and Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre and holds an honorary doctorate degree from the Charisma University in the USA.
She is the founder of Womanhood Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation, as a vehicle for empowering young women and the youth in general.
Sophia Ackuaku is a member of the Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs, Association of African Women Entrepreneurs and National Association of Women Entrepreneurs and serves as the focal officer for these international bodies in Ghana.
She is also the ambassador for Future Trends Collective Rights of Africa in Ghana.
The Obom Domeabra lawmaker is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of a cosmetic empire, Eligreen Enterprise Ltd that deals in shea butter-based products, providing jobs for women especially in northern Ghana and also owns two other companies, Amosos Ghana ltd and Donkomi.
The MP previously worked as deputy director in-charge of operations at the National Service Secretariat during the era of former President John Dramani Mahama.
Due to her quest of championing development of deprived communities, Hon Sophia Ackuaku has been installed Queen mother for two traditional areas, Adenkrebi in the Greater Accra and Anyarko in the Volta regions where she masterminded several community development projects.
Sophia Karen Ackuaku is a versatile politician who easily adapts to any new environment she finds herself. She first served as the parliamentary candidate for the National Democratic (NDC) in the Dome/Kwabenya constituency but was unsuccessful and subsequently contested on the ticket of the party for the Obom Domeabra constituency also in the Greater Accra region and won the 2016 polls and was re-elected in the 2020 elections for a second term.
Hon Sophia is on verge of making history as she moves from the Obom Domeabra constituency and is seeking to secure the parliamentary candidate ticket of the NDC to contest the Ayawaso Central constituency in the capital for a third term bid to the lawmaking house.
She is a mother of three biological sons (boys), Ransford, Richmond and Raymond as well four adopted children.
AIWRA is a prestigious annual international Democracy Heroes Awards event organize by FDN Projects (Friends of Democracy Nigeria Projects) to strictly celebrate women of notes who have consistently and committed to the development of Africa through various women and youth development initiatives.
