Aglow marks Afi mpaemu afore with Gifty @ 60 today

A tough erudite business icon, a woman of steel, principle and lover of God aptly describes Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie who turns 60 today.

She was born Gifty Ewuradwoa Affenyi on June 17, 1957 as the first child to Mrs Charity Affenyi (nee Hagan), a trader from Anomabu and Mr Joseph Kojo Affenyi, a Health Inspector from Saltpond (both deceased).

Gifty's birth was surrounded by mystery, according to the family and friends of the Hagan and Affenyi families. Her mother had been diagnosed with fibroid and therefore ,had no prospects of getting pregnant. By God's grace, she eventually conceived and carried a pregnancy for seven months undetected and delivered a baby girl she named Gifty - a Gift from God.

Little Gifty grew up in a Christian home. She was brought up under a strict disciplinary routine by her mother, a business- woman and her gentle but uncompromising father, who later became the Health Superintendent at the Takoradi Port.

Ewuradwoa, as she was affectionately called in her childhood days by friends and relations, began her education at the Tarkwa Methodist Primary School and continued to Mmofraturo Girls' Boarding School in Kumasi. Even at a young age, she was unassuming but almost always stood out as a beacon, owing to the way she carried out her duties with comportment and passion.

She was an avid reader of the Bible and loved rice, sauced in oil with 'cuts of salted beef' popularly called “angwa mo.”

From Mmofraturo Girls, she went on to the Winneba Secondary School, where she picked up the game of hockey and was popularly called ‘Angela Davies’. After obtaining her GCE Ordinary Level certificate at Winneba, she proceeded to the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), where she obtained a Diploma in Journalism.

Soon after her graduation from GIJ, she was offered employment at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). Gifty descended onto the broadcast journalism scene at GBC with such charm and charisma that could not go unnoticed. She went about her duties as a reporter of the GBC Radio Newsroom with such passion and finesse, and always wearing a smile that often softened the instinctive punch behind her critical thinking and as a journalist.

She was outspoken and eloquent as a broadcast journalist. It, therefore, came as no surprise when she won a scholarship to enrol in the Advanced Journalism Certificate programme with Radio Netherlands.

Gifty pursued a master's programme in Governance and Leadership at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). This education enhanced the knowledge she had acquired in earlier courses on the Chief Executive and Women in Management programmes at GIMPA.

Context of Gifty's leadership walk...

There was naturally great euphoria, especially in media circles, when the GJA's first female Vice-President and its first female Chairperson of the Greater Accra regional branch in 1995 wanted to contest for the ultimate position and to wade into an unchartered territory in media circles in Ghana.

In spite of the constitutional provisions, other fetters existed to limit the desire of a woman to move into the Association's leadership. No woman had ever led the GJA since it was formed in 1949. Many media practitioners were, therefore, left gaping when a female decided to take up that mantle. In 1992 Ghana returned to civilian rule after a long topsy-turvy political era (1979 to 1991), when the country suffered from a “culture of silence” and the media had been cowed into extreme censorship with repressive laws and actions by government.

Breaking Glass Ceilings...

Gifty stepped on the 'leadership ladder' of the Association and progressively worked her way up, learning the ropes as she climbed the proverbial ladder. While looking for inspiration from others to excel professionally and carry out service to society, Gifty took a cue from some of the icons from her hometown of Anomabo. She did not hide these sentiments when she stormed onto the scene as the first female Vice-President of the GJA and went on in 1995 to become the Association's first female President.

Gifty was a tough, hardworking woman who bubbled with confidence and there was no doubt in the minds of those she interacted with that she was going to succeed. However, the degree of success she would attain, none could anticipate or fathom.

Gifty commands a high presence in the world of business and finance as well. She is the Managing Director of the 1st African Group Ltd., as well as the National Prayer Director of Aglow International, a non-denominational Christian group.

“I have worked with Mrs Gifty Affenyi Dadzie for two terms as my vice. She has excelled and I simply will go along with Christian doctrine and be like John the Baptist who came to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. Gifty is our greatest gift; she has the vision, drive and energy to transform our Association into a strong media organisation and a bulwark of freedom and development in our country”, Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere, attested.

With the GJA elections scheduled for November 27, 1996, Gifty resigned from GBC in July, 1996 solely to have time to campaign and contest the election. As history would have it, Kabral was vindicated as Gifty won the election and became the first full-time GJA President.

A Woman of Prayer...

Gifty cut her Christian “milk teeth” as a member of the junior choir of the Methodist Church. Today, she is one of the main architects of the regular monthly intercessory prayer meetings that is held nationally to commit Ghana into God's care. She co-ordinates the national events in her capacity as the Prayer Director of Aglow International, marshalling an estimated 8,000 women and men, to stand together in prayer focusing on national peace, prosperity, accountable leadership and praying against national crises and disasters. Gifty briefly produced a Christian magazine called “Truth and Life.”

Gifty does not limit her love to family alone. She reaches out to the socially vulnerable and extends a helping hand wherever and whenever it is possible. Touched by the plight of children and young adults in need, Gifty does not hesitate to lend a helping hand by meeting them at their point of need.

Of Public Service and Meritorious awards...

Gifty's commitment to public service is born out of the number of Boards she currently serves and has served on. These include the boards of the National Petroleum Tender Board, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Advisory Committee, Ghana Institute of Journalism, Ekumfiman Rural Bank, CDH Insurance, City Car Park, and Kulendi@Law.

In appreciation of her selfless service to the Ghanaian media, the GJA nominated her as one of its two representatives to the National Media Commission immediately after her presidency. The main meeting hall of the Ghana International Press Centre, the headquarters of the GJA, has been named after her as well.

Her modest but remarkable contributions to the development of the Ghanaian media in particular, and society in general, were recognised at the highest level when she was appointed a member of the Council of State in 2005, making her the youngest person ever to serve on the Council in the Fourth Republic.

In 2006, Gifty received an Order of Merit from the Republic of Ghana - Order of the Volta. She has also received other awards including : Award of Merit, Association of Certified Entrepreneurs in 2004; Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs Award in 2003; and the Association of Certified Flag bearers of the 20th Century Award of GAWIF in 2002. The rest are: the 1999 Women of the Year Award by the American Biographical Institute; Honorary Citizen of Houston, Texas, USA, and Goodwill Ambassador, City of Houston in 2000.

Her Testimony & Praise...

It remains a mystery how Gifty has been able to accomplish so much in 60 years. She states emphatically that her strength and blessings come from God. She also acknowledges those who make it possible to achieve what she has; “It is by the love, care and support of my dear husband; the goodwill and support of many friends and relations. But above all, I believe that I am a gift from God and it is by His grace, goodness and mercies that I am able to do all that I do—the gift of being a Gift from God.”