Ursula Owusu

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful (born 20 October 1964) is a lawyer, women's rights activist and a Ghanaian parliamentarian representing Ablekuma West constituency.[1][2][3] She has been the Minister of Communications for Ghana since the assumption of power by the New Patriotic Party in January 2017.[4] On Saturday, 29 September 2018, she was  installed as  the Nkosuohemaa (Development Queen) by the traditional leaders and the people of Akem Asuom in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The ceremony took place at the Palace of Asuomhene Osabarima Ofosuhene Apenteng II.[5][6][7][8]

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
Member of the Ghana Parliament
for Ablekuma West constituency
Assumed office
2012
Personal details
Born (1964-10-20) 20 October 1964
Akim Oda, Ghana
Political partyNew Patriotic Party
Spouse(s)Dr. Sam Ekuful
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Ghana
OccupationParliamentarian
ProfessionLawyer
CabinetMinister

Early life

Owusu-Ekuful was born on 20 October 1964. She hails from Akim Oda in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

Education

Owusu-Ekuful attended Labone Senior High School and proceeded to Mfantisman Girls Secondary School to have her sixth form education. She furthered her education in University of Ghana and the Ghana School Of Law where she obtained an LLB. She was called to the bar in 1990.[9] She has attended courses including one at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.[9] From the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, she obtained a Masters in Conflict, Peace and Security.[10][11]

Career

She worked for ten years as a lawyer before leading a technology company. In 2012, she was elected to be the Member of Parliament for the Ablekuma West Constituency.[9] In 2015, she and other women MPs were subject to personal attacks after there was a dispute over places reserved for women members of parliament. She was reported as saying that she was considering her future in politics,[12] but the following year she became the Minister of Communications.[9]

Before her current position as the Minister of Communication she served on different boards and in different capacities in her professional career.[13] She served as a Managing Consultant, N. U. Consult Legal, Governance and Gender Consultants, the Director of Vodafone Ghana Company Limited, a member of Ghana Bar Association, an Executive Member of International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ghana and a member of African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA), Ghana.[13]

Adhan controversy

Following the suggestion by Kwabena Frimpong Boateng as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations, for Mosques using external speakers for the Adhan to consider gathering their congregation using text message and WhatsApp messenger, sections of the Ghanaian community were discontented by their perceived "impracticality" of the proposal[14] and reproached the Minister for making the suggestion.[15] This was considered by some observers as an exhibition of intolerance among members of the Muslim community in Ghana.[4]

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful shared an article on her Facebook wall from Ghanaweb.com, that agreed with the latter position, suggesting that she herself held the same view that "Muslims in Ghana are intolerant".[16] She later deleted the Facebook post and wrote a rejoinder on Modernghana.com disassociating herself from that article.[17]

Politics

In 2015, she contested and won the NPP parliamentary primaries in the Ablekuma West Constituency.[18] She retained her parliamentary seat during the 2016 Ghanaian general elections by winning with 34,376 votes out of the 60,558 valid votes casted making 56.96%. In 2017, Ursula Owusu was appointed The Minister for Communications and accepted the offer to become the development queen (Nkosuohemaa) of Akyem Asuom in the Kwaebibirem District of the Eastern Region.[3][19]

Personal

She is married to a UK-based Ghanaian optometrist, Dr Sam Ekuful, with one child.[9][20][21][22] She identifies as a Christian.[10]

References
  1. "Members of Parliament | Parliament of Ghana". www.parliament.gh. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  2. "I beg for money each month to survive - Ursula Owusu". www.ghanaweb.com. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  3. "Ghana MPs - MP Details - Owusu, Ursula G." www.ghanamps.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  4. "Ursula Owusu shares the belief that Muslims are intolerant". Ghananewsonline. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  5. Agyeman, Adwoa (30 September 2018). "Ursula Owusu Ekuful now Nkosuohemaa of Akyem Asuom". AdomOnline.com. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  6. Starrfmonline. "Ursula installed devt queenmother at Asuom | Starr Fm". Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  7. Contributor, Eric Nana Yaw Kwafo News (30 September 2018). "Communications Minister Ursula Installed As Queen In Akyem Asuom". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  8. "Akyem Asuom installs Ursula Nkosuohemaa". www.ghanaweb.com. 30 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  9. "Ursula Owusu-Ekuful – Communications - Government of Ghana". www.ghana.gov.gh. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  10. "Parliament of Ghana". www.parliament.gh. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  11. "Ursula Owusu-Ekuful – Communications - Government of Ghana". www.ghana.gov.gh. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  12. Myjoyonline.com. "Ghana News - "Sad" Ursula Owusu to reassess political future". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  13. "Ursula Owusu: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  14. "Call to prayer: Text messages suggestion unreasonable – Chief Imam - Starr Fm". Starr Fm. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  15. Mustapha, Muhammed Faisal (13 April 2018). "Muslim groups demand removal of Prof. Frimpong Boateng for 'call to prayer' comment". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  16. "Rejoinder: Ursula Owusu Claims Muslims Are Intolerant". INSIDER. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  17. Samih, Fadi Dabbousi (17 April 2018). "Rejoinder: Ursula Owusu Claims Muslims Are Intolerant". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  18. "Ursula Owusu wins controversial Ablekuma West NPP polls - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  19. "Search". Graphic Online. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  20. Online, Peace FM (14 July 2017). "I Want To Give My Husband A Child - Ursula Owusu-Ekuful". www.peacefmonline.com. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  21. Zurek, Kweku (1 February 2017). "I would not have been married but for Skype - Ursula Owusu-Ekuful". Graphic Online. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  22. theheraldteam (7 November 2014). "Ursula Owusu Make Amends With Neglected Son". The Herald. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
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