Edjewani Afenu

Constance Ama Emefa Edjeani-Afenu (5 March 1960 ― 24 January 2022; Edjeani) was the first female brigadier general of the Ghana Armed Forces and, posthumously, the first female major general.

She was deployed to several United Nations peacekeeping missions, including missions in Lebanon, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She also served as the Deputy Military Adviser to Ghana's permanent Mission in New York City.

Early life

Constance Ama Emefa Edjeani-Afenu was born on 5 March 1960 at Vane Avatime, Volta Region, Her father served in the military, and two of her siblings also pursued military careers, though they predeceased her. Her mother was Mrs. Alice Grette Kwawu-Edzeani.

Edjeani-Afenu attended Kamina Barracks Primary School and Armed Forces Experimental School in Kumasi before completing her O- and A-levels at Wesley Girl's Senior High School in Cape Coast. In the early 1990s, she was at the Junior Division of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, She later joined the Forces Pay Regiment as a commanding officer in 1999.

The UN appointed her as the Deputy Force Commander in MINURSO in September 2019, where she was stationed in Western Sahara.

Edjeani's career is of particular significance to the Ghanaian people and the African community because her achievements represent the efforts of African countries to be more inclusive and representative with their military staffing. In 2018, the Department for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and Department for Field Support (DFS) published its first 'Policy on Gender Responsive United Nations Peacekeeping Operations', outlining a mandatory requirement for all uniformed and civilian personnel to ensure UN and African Union peacekeeping operations consider women and men's concerns and experiences equally throughout all levels of service. Edjeani's service was an example of the fruit of these combined efforts. Because of these initiatives, she became a part of the 17 percent of women serving in the Ghana Armed Forces across all ranks and services (up from 10 percent in 2006) and the 12.5 percent of the GAF's deployed women peacekeepers.

Achievements

During Edjeani-Afenu's training, she was appointed Cadet Sergeant, a position previously only held by male recruits. She earned the Determination and Perseverance Trophy in her graduating class, Ghana Armed Forces.

In February 1999, Major-General Edjeani-Afenu was appointed the Commanding Officer of the Forces Pay Office, making her the first female Commanding Officer of a Unit in the Ghana Armed Forces.

In March 2017, she was promoted to Brigadier-General in the Armed Forces. This made her the first female to get this rank in GAF.

During the book launch event, the current Ghana Ambassador to Egypt, Lieutenant General Obed Boamah Akwa, acknowledged the uniqueness of the launch was due to the personality of Edjeani-Afenu. He continued to state that Edjeani-Afenu's ability to achieve so much in her lifetime indicated her dedication and purpose. Brigadier General Anita Asmah pointed to her military insight and contributions made to gender mainstreaming in the GAF. She described how a chapter of the book is dedicated to "gender contemporary issues" and the practices that could be used to combat it, such as holding a lecture on gender equality and mainstreaming within the United Nation (UN) and the GAF.