‘I used to sell charcoal’ – Ursula Owusu recounts humble beginnings

Communication Minister, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has shared her life with youths, explaining that beyond the status-inspired attention that comes to the path of a top government official, lies hidden a life of struggle and sweat.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, a women’s rights activist and private legal practitioner, says her ability to embrace education and diligent pursuance of academics despite the odds ensured that she did not end up as a lady relegated to a corner striving to make ends meet.

Growing up she sold charcoal, the Member of Parliament (MP) Ablekuma West made the rare disclosure at a Nasara Wing meeting at Damongo in the Savannah Region.

The Nasara Wing of the governing New Patriotic Party organises party supporters in the Zongo communities.

Second Lady, Samira Bawumia had addressed the youths stressing the importance of education.

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful after listening to Mrs Bawumia urged her audience to publicises the achievements of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government especially the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy and the introduction of Zongo development initiatives.

She said: “Her Excellency Hajia Samira Bawumia said something profound. Some people are insulting her but I doff my hat out for the Second Lady. She said were it not education, where would she, a Zongo Fulani woman be?

“I can say the same for myself, were it not for education, I would be selling charcoal because I have sold charcoal before. Today, by God’s grace and because I went to school, I’m a lawyer and a communications minister. I will encourage everyone to take advantage of the policies that we’re putting in place in education to educate our people”.

She was of the view that residents in the Zongos should seek education as a path of liberation for future success.

“We are spending almost half of our budget on Free SHS and people don’t understand. We are building a solid foundation which will last not just because we want to win the next election. We build to last. We are developing our human resources.”

“We would get the benefit of it not today but tomorrow but they are the future that will transform this country and so we will invest in educating our children. Hajia Samira Bawumia, myself, all my sisters and colleagues here are evidence of what education can do to transform all lives,” she reiterated.

The Minister, who has been named the Nkosuohemaa (Development Queen) of the Akem Asuom Traditional Area in the Eastern Region of Ghana, attended Labone Senior High School and proceeded to Mfantisman Girls Secondary School to have her Sixth Form education.

She later enrolled at the University of Ghana and acquired an LLB. She proceeded to the Ghana School of Law and was called to the bar in 1990 after successful completion of the law programme.

She is married to a UK-based Ghanaian ophthalmologist, Dr Sam Ekuful.