Participate in girls’ upbringing -Prof. Dolphyne urges fathers

Former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Florence Abena Dolphyne, has appealed to fathers to fully participate in the nurturing and training of their daughters to encourage them to strive for bigger roles in life.

She said most of the lessons which influenced her successful career in academia were passed on by her father who took keen interest in her upbringing.

“Fathers should not leave the responsibility of the upbringing of the girl-child to women alone because if fathers contribute to the raising of the child, it will go a long way to benefit this country,” she said.

Prof. Dolphyne made the appeal at the launch of her autobiography, “From Achinakrom To Pro-Vice Chancellor”, at the auditorium of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Accra last Wednesday.

The venerable academic, who achieved a lot of firsts as a woman, emphasised that giving birth to a woman or only women was not a curse.

“Having a daughter is not punishment,” she said. 

Academic community

The ceremony brought together notable figures in the local academic community, including the current Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah-Amfo; former Minister of Education and running mate of former President John Mahama in the 2020 elections, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, and wife of former Vice-President Paa Kwesi Amisah-Arthur, Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur, who wrote the foreword to the book. 

Renowned economist, Mr Kwame Pianim, who chaired the function, described Prof. Dolphyne as a champion of African morals and a simple but efficient woman who put Achinakrom on the map.

He said the successes chalked up by Prof. Dolphyne should inspire the younger generation.

“Let’s help our women, and support and recognise linguistics to support lawyers and politicians for the development of the country,” he said.

First woman

Prof. Appiah-Amfo paid glowing tribute to her “mentor” and the woman she said paved the way for other women in the country to rise to positions of leadership.

She said Prof. Dolphyne was a real trailblazer who became the first woman in Ghana to obtain a doctorate degree in linguistics, the first woman to become an associate professor and the first woman to become a dean.

She said Prof. Dolphyne was also the first woman to become a Pro-Vice Chancellor in a Ghanaian university.

Prof. Appiah-Amfo said the achievements of Prof. Dolphyne opened gates for other women in academia, including herself.

“In the Linguistics Department, she was the only woman who taught us,” she said.

The book

The book is a personal history of Ghana from pre-independence by someone who helped to shape Ghana’s education system, women’s rights during the UN decade for women, and human rights through Ghana’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

It is a book that tells the story of “Mmofraturo” as related to the training of girls to influence their world before the advent of militant feminism.