Former Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Sherry Ayittey has died at the age of 75.
This was announced by her family in a short statement.
“The head of the family, Nii Kofi Ayittey of Akwetey Nantan, Osu Alata, announce with deep sorry the death of their beloved daughter and sister, Hon. Hanny Sherry Ayittey on July 22, 2023. The family will announce further details in due course,” the family added in a statement signed by Nii Kofi Ayittey.
Biography
Madam Sherry Ayittey was born in 1948.
She had her secondary school education at the Labone Secondary School in Accra and is a member of the 1965-67 year group.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a Master of Science in Industrial Microbiology from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, then the University of Science and Technology (UST).
Madam Ayittey served as the managing director of Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation (GIHOC) Distilleries. She also served on several management boards in Ghana including the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation now Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT); Ghana Forestry Commission, and the Ghana Export Promotion Council.
She was Ghana’s lead of a delegation to the Conference of Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and United Nations Convention on Biodiversity which birthed the famous Paris Climate Agreement.
She is a founding member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). She served in several roles within the party and in government, serving as a women’s activist, a minister of state, and a National Vice-chairperson.
After the 2008 presidential election, President John Atta Mills appointed Ayittey as Minister for Environment, Science and Technology in his government in January 2009.
In January 2013, she was appointed Minister for Health by President John Dramani Mahama taking over from Alban Bagbin.
On 9 June 2014, Sherry Ayitey was reassigned by President Mahama to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
