Wesley Girls class of '83 honours minister

Daily Graphic, pg 11, Thurs. March 26/09

Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho

When a group of women made up of the 1983 alumni of the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast in the Central Region gathered at the Ghana Village of the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra at the weekend to celebrate the achievements of one of their mates, it was full of joy and excitement.
The programme was organised in honour of Ms Hanna Tetteh, a member of the year group who has been appointed as the Minister of Trade and Industries.
In the company of the current Headmistress of the school, Mrs Betty Djokoto, and Dr Mrs Rosina Acheampong, a past headmistress who headed the school at the time the group was in school, the old girls treated their former colleague to a buffet lunch amidst singing and dancing, reminiscing of their days in school.
After the lunch, the ladies — who are mostly lawyers, businesswomen and bankers — presented the minister with a citation and a plague with her picture and the crest of their former school embossed on it.
Excerpts from the citation read that “Hanna has always moved straight for her goal — She does not shimmy or hedge like some, or need the affirmation of friends or colleagues before making her choices. Her tenacity, flair, razor-sharp intelligence and level-headedness have brought her this far and will serve her very well in her ministerial role”.
It also said that “the WGHS class of ‘83 is among the privileged few who saw the beginnings of our illustrious sister whose meteoric rise we celebrate today. Just over 30 years ago, our unlikely group of ‘homos’ was thrown together for good or ill. Ours has been a long and interesting ride filled with laughter, tears, fun and escapades that can only be disclosed for a sizeable fee”.
Dr Mrs Acheampong, advised Ms Tetteh to always ensure that she was guided by the strict training that she acquired from her alma mater.
She also called on her to ensure that her school’s motto “Live pure, speak true, right wrong, follow the king” becomes her guiding principle in whatever she does as a minister of state.
Dr Acheampong said the school was proud for training some of the best women in the country and Africa as a whole.
Ms Tetteh in her response said she was humbled by the show of affection from her former classmates and hoped that she would be able to count on them whenever she needed their support.
She said the ministry that she was heading was one of the most important and pledged to work hard to justify the trust reposed in her.