Fred T. Sai

Frederick Torgbor Sai, (23 June 1924 – 17 September 2019) was a Ghanaian academic and family health physician who co-founded the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana in 1967. A gender and reproductive health advocate, he was known for his campaigns and education drawing attention to the food and nutrition problems of Africa, particularly of women and children.

Early life and education Sai was born on 23 June 1924 in the suburb of Osu, Accra in the Gold Coast colony, now modern Ghana. an experience that shaped his resolve to focus on "women's issues" in his medical career. He studied at the Presbyterian boys’ boarding middle school, the Salem School, Osu and won a Cadbury scholarship to Achimota College where he completed his secondary education and the pre-clinical course. He received a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H) from the same institution in 1956 and held a master's degree in public health, earned in 1960, as a WHO Scholar at Harvard University.

He served as an external Director of the Ghanaian central bank, the Bank of Ghana and a member of the Board of Directors of several United States-based non-profits working in Sexual and Reproductive Health. One of his children, Florence Oboshie Sai-Cofie, a Ghanaian politician, advertising marketing specialist and media executive, served as a cabinet minister in the John Kufuor administration. He enjoyed playing golf and listening to highlife and jazz music. In 1998, Sai received the Harvard School of Public Health Alumni Award of Merit for his contributions to the field of public health; the highest honour the school bestows on its alumni. In 2006, he was awarded one of Ghana's highest national honours, Order of the Star of Ghana - Member of the Star of Ghana (MSG) Civil Division. In June 2019, on the occasion of his 95th birthday, Sai was acknowledged for his efforts towards the welfare of the female gender over two and a half decades. The event, organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Ghana Country Office, was attended by several members of the international and diplomatic communities and was graced by the Ghanaian president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and his wife, Rebecca Akufo-Addo.

Death and funeral Fred Torgbor Sai died in Accra on 17 September 2019 at the age of 95. The funeral of F. T. Sai was held at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Osu. Upon his death, Sai's obituary was published in The Guardian.

Some Ethical Issues in Family Planning, Occasional essays (December 1976) co-authored with International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) Technology, human dignity, and national development, The J.B. Danquah memorial lectures (1976) Population and National Development: Dilemma of Developing Countries, Occasional essays (March 1977) co-authored with Penny Kane Food, Population and Politics, Occasional essays (April 1977) co-authored with Penny Kane Defining Family Health Needs: Standards of Care and Priorities, with Particular Reference to Family Planning, Occasional essays (May 1977) Health, Nutrition and Population in Human Settlements (Occasional essays) International Planned Parenthood Federation; No. 5 (August 1977) Ethical approaches to family planning in Africa (1989) The World Bank's role in shaping Third World population policy (1990) co-authored with Lauren A. Chester Dr Fred Sai Speaks Out International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) (1994) Adam & Eve and the Serpent: Breaking the bonds to free Africa's women (1995) Why is Africa losing the battle against AIDS, Accra: Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (1999) “Family Planning in Ghana” in The Global Family Planning Revolution: Three Decades of Population Policies, by Warren C. Robinson, John A. Ross, World Bank, Washington DC (2007) co-authored with John C. Caldwell With Heart and Voice: Fred Sai Remembers (2010)