Scores of Ghanaians trooped to the Forecourt of the State House on Friday, April 26, 2024, to pay their last respects to Ama Busia, a founding member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), who passed away in December 2023.
The funeral, state-sponsored, was held at the State House in honour of the NPP stalwart, and was attended by leading figures of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the government.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; Vice President and Flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia; Second Lady, Samira Bawumia; Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare; and a host of ministers of state and Members of Parliament, were all in attendance.
Also present at the event were the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare; former Speaker of Parliament, Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye; Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the NPP; the National Chairman of the NPP, Stephen Ntim; and the NPP General Secretary, Justine Frimpong Kodua (JFK).
The body of Ama Busia, a former First Vice Chairperson of the New Patriotic Party and a prominent member of the Council of Elders, is expected to be transported to her hometown at Wenchi in the Bono Region, where she will be buried on Saturday, April 27, 2024.
Ama Busia, the sister of the late Prime Minister of Ghana, Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, passed away on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, after a brief illness.
According to a report by asaaseradio.com, Dr. Obeng Busia; Ama Busia's son, confirmed her passing at the Nyaho Medical Centre.
Ama Busia, aged 87 at the time of her death, remained a strong and influential figure within the NPP until her final moments.
Known for her activism and political criticism against the Acheampong government, Ama Busia faced adversity, being arrested seven times.
Her seventh arrest resulted in a 90-day detention.
She played a significant role in the founding of the Northern People’s Party, which later merged with Danquah and Busia to form the current New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Ama Busia, a resilient political figure, held various leadership positions within the NPP. She served as a Council of State member after the NPP's victory in the 2000 elections under John Agyekum Kufuor.
Ama previously occupied both the first and third national vice chairperson positions of the NPP.
Her educational journey began at Wenchi Methodist School and Methodist Middle Girls’ School in Kumasi, followed by teacher training at the Komenda Training College.
In 1959, Ama Busia went into exile in London with her brother, Kofi Abrefa Busia, studying Institutional Management and Catering at the Regent Street Polytechnic.
See visuals from the funeral service below:
Credit: ghanaweb.com