Dr Leticia Obeng, also known as ‘The grandmother of female scientists in Ghana’ has died.
Obeng was the first Ghanaian woman to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in science, as well as the first to be awarded a doctorate in science in1964.
She was the sister of the late Madam Theodosia Okoh, the designer of the Ghana flag.
About Leticia Obeng
The notable female Ghanaian scientist was born a high achiever, evident in her sister, Madam Theodosia Okoh, who designed the Ghana flag.
The Anum native in the Eastern Region was born on 10 January 1925, and grew to be described as ‘the grandmother of female scientists in Ghana’.
Obeng first attended primary school in Abetifi, Kwahu and studied in a middle school in Kyebi. She would later gain admission at Achimota School to pursue a secondary education between 1939 and 1946.
While at school, Obeng took the London University International Examination to continue her education, courtesy government scholarship at the University of Birmingham from 1948 to 1952 and graduated with a degree in Zoology, making her the first woman to be awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology and Botany.
Obeng earned her Master of Science degree in Parasitology in 1962 and a PhD in Tropical Medicine, also from the University of Birmingham in 1964.
Her PhD was awarded her by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, where she studied the Black Fly and its relevance to River Blindness.
Leticia’s father, Very Reverend E.V Asihene Anad, was the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and her mother was Dora Asihene.
She was married to George A. Obeng who died in 1953. Obeng launched her first book, Anthology of a Lifetime in July 2019.
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