Dr Letitia Obeng: Meet Theodosia Okoh's Sister Whose Image Was Allegedly Used on New GHC50 Note

• A family member of Theodosia Okoh raised concerns that the portrait on Ghana's new GH¢50 banknote may actually depict her sister, Dr Letitia Obeng
• Dr Eddie Obeng, nephew of Theodosia Okoh, made the claim after examining the newly unveiled note and noticing a resemblance to his late mother
• The Bank of Ghana defended the portrait, but the dispute has drawn fresh attention to Dr Obeng's remarkable career in science and environmental research

The unveiling of Ghana's new GH¢50 banknote, which features the late flag designer Theodosia Salome Okoh, has been overshadowed by a family dispute over whether the portrait on the currency actually depicts her at all.

Theodosia Okoh's family speaks

Dr Eddie Obeng, a nephew of Theodosia Okoh and son of the late Ghanaian scientist Dr Letitia Eva Obeng, raised the concern after inspecting the note. In a LinkedIn post, he said he initially felt pride upon seeing his aunt honoured, but on closer examination, he believed the portrait bore a stronger resemblance to his mother than to Okoh.

The Bank of Ghana responded through board member Beatrice Annan, who stated that three verified photographs of Theodosia Okoh were used as the basis for the engraved image, with artistic adjustments made to satisfy banknote production and security standards.

The portrait mix-up has happened before

The confusion is not without precedent. In 2020, the South African publication The Continent issued a correction after mistakenly publishing a photograph of Dr Letitia Obeng while identifying her as Theodosia Okoh.

The publication acknowledged that the two sisters had on occasion been misidentified in photographs published across various media.

The latest dispute has brought renewed focus on Dr Obeng, whose contributions to Ghanaian science spanned more than six decades.

Who was Dr Letitia Eva Obeng?

Dr Letitia Eva Takyibea Obeng was born on 10 January 1925, in Anum in the Eastern Region.

She attended Achimota College between 1939 and 1946 before receiving a government scholarship to study at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology in 1952, becoming the first Ghanaian woman to do so.

She followed this with a Master of Science in Parasitology in 1962 and a doctorate in Tropical Medicine in 1964 from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, making her the first Ghanaian woman to obtain a PhD in science.

Dr Letitia Eva Obeng's career

On returning to Ghana, she was appointed the first female science lecturer at what is now the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.

She subsequently joined the Ghana Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council, focusing on parasitology and aquatic biology.

Between 1965 and 1974, she served as director of the Institute of Aquatic Biology under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), conducting research into the environmental impact of the Volta Lake and studying the black fly that transmits the parasite responsible for river blindness.

Dr Letitia Eva Obeng works for UNEP

Her work later took her to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), where she became its first African female senior staff member in 1974 and, in 1980, the first African woman to lead UNEP's Regional Office for Africa. She was also unanimously appointed the first female president of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008 and chaired the Global Water Partnership from 2008 to 2012.

Among her honours were Ghana's Order of the Star of Ghana in 2006 and honorary doctorates from both KNUST and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The CSIR named a facility, the Letitia Obeng Block, after her in recognition of her scientific legacy. Dr Obeng died on 23 March 2023, at the age of 98.

Source: YEN.com.gh