The forgotten heroine of Ghana’s independence and liberation
Many people contributed their quota towards our Independence march forward and even more supported in the efforts of gaining absolute freedom in 1957, and 1960 as a Republic Day for Ghana.
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Paramount among these freedom fighters is the Osagyefo Himself, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and the “ BIG SIX”, of which he was inclusive. Mention can also be made of Nii Kwabena Bonnie, the Osu Alata Mantse who led a boycott of European Goods.
Some individuals and freedom fighters for Ghana’s Independence and progress may not have blazed the limelight as the Osagyefo, the BIG SIX and the political party, the United Gold Coast Convention.
But one colossus who has been forgotten in the liberation struggle has been Agness Oforiwa Tagoe-Quarcoopome. A stalwart of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and a political trailblazer during the days of liberation and struggle for independence.
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Destiny Child
Born on May 27, 1913, to the late George AryeequayefioTagoe and Madam Okaikai Aryee, Oforiwa became a destiny child from birth after losing her parents.
After attending the Accra Royal School at James Town from 1922 to 1929 where she was forced to stop her education due to circumstances beyond her control, the agile and affable young Oforiwa resorted to business as her means of survival.
She then entered into the fray of buying and selling all kinds of goods and mercantile at Makola and Okaishie in the main business districts of Accra.
She became the first Makola woman to open a bank account with the then Standard Bank of West Africa (SBWA), now Standard Chartered Bank on the advice of the expatriate Sales Manager of the UAC. In those days the rich Makola women kept their hard earned cash at home in strong safes.
This single act transformed her business rapidly and other market women followed her example. For over 55 years during which she actively worked with the commercial houses such as the UAC, UTC, PZ, GBO, CFAO, and later S.D KARAM and GNTC, she commanded an unqualified respect and goodwill.
Travel scholarship
Her business performance with the UAC buoyed with the integrity and honesty and underpinned by the creativity and innovativeness won her a unique admiration and distinction of management that she was awarded in 1958 a travelling scholarship, as the first Ghanaian trader to visit their corporate centers.
This award took her to Manchester in the United Kingdom, Holland in the Netherlands and other centers. She no doubt acquitted herself creditably on this trip that she returned home with wide range of attractive designs.
The trip indeed signified a distinctive achievement of a woman of her social standing and also indicated an absolute recognition and reward by UAC for her contribution to that organisation.
Her interests were not only limited to textiles but she ventured into real estate with numerous property holdings throughout Accra. She judged correctly and bought properties in the early 70’s in the Holland Park area of London before the property boom of the mid seventies when buildings in London quadrupled in price in a pace of two years.
These properties which were bought for around 100,000 thousand pounds in the early 1970’s are now worth several millions of pounds sterling.
Religious background
Her devotion to christianity stemmed from the highly religious background of her parents. She commenced her christian devotion from the Methodist Church at James Town and later transferred her membership to the Reverend Ernest Bruce Memorial Methodist Church at Adabraka Circuit, where she regularly worshipped