Kofi Ampeah Woode
“THE LADY IN BOOTS” – a book written by the late Major General (Maj Gen) Constance Ama Emefa Edjeani-Afenu – the first female Brigadier General (Brig Gen) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), has been posthumously launched by her family in her honour, and to raise support for causes she had initiated.
The book was launched at the Burma Hall, Burma Camp, Accra, on Wednesday 6 September 2023, with the support of the Deputy Minister for Defence – Mr Kofi Amankwa-Manu, former First Lady – Her Excellency (HE) Mrs Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, former three times President of the Ghana Journalists Association – Mrs Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie; former Chief of the Defence Staff of GAF, and Ghana’s Ambassador to Egypt – Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Obed Boamah Akwa (Rtd), and the Reviewer being Brig Gen Anita Asmah.
In a presentation of what is in the book – which had personally been written by the late General, but could not be launched, due to her untimely demise – and what made the author write, the widower – Captain (Capt) Fred Afenu (Rtd) said, Maj Gen Edjeani-Afenu did not merely want to tell her story but was inspired by the many good changes that were happening in Ghana’s military, which she believed the world needed to know.
He said one of the lessons revealed in the book is the fact that people should quietly work hard and allow success to make the noise, and that the book highlights the late General’s persona and professional experiences as a soldier, and seeks to educate and encourage young people in general and young women in particular, to pursue their dreams and aspirations with determination.
HE Lt Gen OB Akwa (Rtd), who served in GAF for 46 years, five years more than Maj Gen Edjeani-Afenu, and was the Chairman of the book launch, nostalgically narrated his acquaintance with the Edjeani family in Tamale in the 1960s, at the military primary school, with a rendition of a marching song of the basic school.
About the author
Maj Gen CAE Edjeani-Afenu commenced school at the age of five at the Kamina Barracks Primary School in Tamale, and was jumped from Class 4 to Class 6 due to her brilliance. Constance passed the then Common Entrance Examination (an exams which was used to select students to access secondary school education) to Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast at age 10.
She secured her position with a full scholarship the following year, and obtained her General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary and Advanced Level Certificates, engraving her name into the annals of Distinction.
At 18 years, she embarked on a resolute journey by enlisting into the Ghana Military Academy on 19th November 1978 to pursue the Regular Cadet Course; Officer Cadet Edjeanı was the youngest and the only female in Regular Career Course (RCC) Intake 21, but was adjudged the Academy’s Determination and Perseverance Trophy on Graduation in April 1980, as a Second Lieutenant.
The crowning jewel of her military journey manifested as the first female Commanding Officer (CO) of the Forces Pay Regiment, demonstrating exemplary leadership and leaving indelible marks at all the positions she served.
These offices included Service Financial Comptroller at the Naval Headquarters, Director of Audit and Inspection, and the Pay and Accounts at the Department of Defence Financial Comptroller (DFC), at the General Headquarters.
Her contributions to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) GHANTBATTS 41 and 47, United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), and United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) were evidence to her dedication to global peace and cooperation.
General Edjeani-Afenu’s appointment as first female Deputy Military Adviser at the Permanent Mission of Ghana to the UN from 2013 to 2016 marked a historic milestone, and whiles in New York, she was promoted to the esteemed rank of Brigadier General, becoming the first female to attain the position in the GAF.
She once again made history in peacekeeping as the first female Deputy Force Commander in the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) from 2019 to December 2021.
She pursued a Master of Arts Degree in Conflict, Peace and Security from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management Practice from the Paris Graduate School of Management.
She also obtained a Diploma in Public Relations & Advertising from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, and a Certificate in Public Administration also from GIMPA, attended workshops and seminars such as; the Finance Captains Career Course in South Carolina, USA and Women Peace and Security and Operationalizing Gender for Peace and Security Operations – a New Zealand Perspective.
She also built a huge capacity in the Army with diversified courses, such as; Junior and Senior Staff Courses, Signal Officer’s Users Course, Young Ordnance Officer’s Course and Accountant A1 Course.
As the Director of Pay and Accounts, she regularly visited and interacted with stakeholder governmental institutions, which guaranteed the speedy releases of monthly pay and Defence allowances of Officers, Soldiers and Defence Civilian Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces.
Maj Gen Edjeani-Afenu – a very passionate gender advocate – mentored and inspired many young female Officers, and worked towards advancing their roles in Ghana’s Armed Forces. As CO, she instituted flexible working hours for working mothers without compromising output. She was also instrumental in the celebrations of Ghana Armed Forces Females@60 in August 2019.
Her philanthropic endeavours included co-founding the JaniGre Foundation – a beacon of hope for girls’ education – and spearheading the refurbishment of the Kamina Primary School Library in Tamale, a poignant tribute to her educational roots.
Present at the launch were many dignitaries, such as the Chief of the Army Staff of GAF – Maj Gen Thomas Oppong-Peprah; Chief of Staff, General Headquarters, GAF – Maj Gen Nicholas Peter Andoh; Commandant, Traditions and Doctrines Command – Maj Gen Bismarck Onwona; former First Lady Mrs Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings; Supreme Court Judge – Professor Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu; Lawyer Ace Kojo Ankomah (who was the Master of Ceremony); former Finance Minister – Mr Seth Tekper, amongst many.
