Esther Ocloo to be honored with State burial

Dr (Mrs) Esther Afua Ocloo, a pioneer female Ghanaian industrialist and winner of the Hunger Project Award, is to be honoured with State burial in March.

President John Agyekum Kufuor announcing this on Wednesday at the Castle, Osu, when a delegation from the bereaved family officially informed the government of her death, said in spite of her natural size, the late Mrs Ocloo stood very tall in Ghanaian industrialisation as an excellent and distinguished person and in many endeavours that she pursued.

"She was a real pillar... worthy of emulation in our efforts to build our nation. Her good works in the promotion of development in Ghana cannot be measured. She cannot be replaced as a pioneer industrialist and founder of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), which are monuments in industry."

President Kufuor said it was good to honour her to encourage other citizens to copy her good works, adding "she was a creator and we need many people of her calibre to build our nation". Mr Joseph Henry Mensah, Senior Minister, described Mrs Ocloo as a sincere and dedicated woman, who got on well with anyone that came into contact with her.

Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister of Trade and Industry, said Mrs Ocloo was a real role model for young men and women, especially women entrepreneurs, in their efforts to develop the private sector.

Togbe Takor Tutu Brempong XII, Gyaasehene of Peki Traditional Area, who led the delegation, said Ghana and especially Peki-Dzake had lost a daughter difficult to be replaced.

He said the family had tentatively fixed either March 15 or 22 for the burial depending on the convenience of the government. Mrs Ocloo, who was born on April 18, 1919 at Peki-Dzake in the Volta Region, died at the 37 Military Hospital on Friday, February 8, this year. She was 83.

Mrs Ocloo, an active participant at forums on industry in Ghana, started the first food-processing factory in Ghana under her maiden name "Nkulenu", the Nkulenu Industries Limited, in 1942 with six shillings.

She attended Achimota School from 1936 to 1941 and took several Diploma courses, including large-scale cookery and food preservation in the UK. Her long list of credentials includes a Grand Medal by the government in 1969 and an honorary doctorate degree by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST) Kumasi.

She was the founder and first president of the Federation of Ghana Industries, now Association of Ghana Industries and founding member and first chairman of the board of directors of Women's World Banking.

She was the first woman to be appointed executive chairman of the National Food and Nutrition Board of Ghana (1964-66), a member of the Synod Committee of the E.P. Church, Ghana (1974-88), Adviser to the Council on Women and Development on small scale and cottage industries (1976-1986).

Mrs Ocloo was also a consultant to UNIDO (1976), a member of the Task Force for Economic Commission for Africa (1976) and Director of the Ecumenical Development Cooperative Societies (1977-82). She won the Hunger Project Award in 1990 and in 1993 she was awarded the Gottlieb Duttweiber Prize for her commitment to training African women as well as the promotion of women's independence in Africa.

The 50,000 Swiss francs Gottlieb Duttweiber award instituted in 1958 is conferred on persons, who have made commendable contributions to general welfare through academic works or other remarkable services to society.