Hawa Yakubu

Hawa Yakubu was born at Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana. She is a native of Pusiga in the Upper East Region. Hawa Yakubu being a member of the Bissa ethnic group, was a founding member of the annual Zekula festival.[1]

In 1979, Yakubu was elected unopposed to her local council and was the youngest member of the constituent assembly which wrote the constitution of the Ghana's Third Republic. Yakubu fled to London then Nigeria when a military coup occurred in 1981, where she lived in opposition until 1991.

In that year, Yakubu returned to Ghana and, in the following year, contested a seat in parliament from the Bawku Central district, which she won despite being an independent candidate. She was elected into the first parliament of the fourth republic of Ghana on 7 January 1993 after he was pronounced winner at the 1992 Ghanaian parliamentary election held on 29 December 1992.[2] She then lost the seat under controversial circumstances and moved to Cotonou, Benin until 2000.

In 2000, she returned to Ghana and won back her seat. In 2001 and 2002, she was appointed to be Minister of Tourism under President John Kufuor. She also served at this time as a Ghanaian representative to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament. Yakubu lost her parliament seat in 2004.

At the time of her death in 2007, it was reported that she had been suffering from cancer for quite some time and had sought treatment in London and South Africa.

She died in London, England, due to cancer.[3] She is survived by three children, Derek Ayebo from her first marriage and Amanda and Didi Ogede from her second marriage.

• ""Iron lady" is no more", 20 March 2007, Ghanaweb.com

• Hawafoundation.org
• "Ghana: Funeral Programme of Madam Hawa Yakubu" 11 April 2007, Ghanaian Chronicle