In a historic milestone for the Uni­versity of Ghana, Dr Gloria Agyeiwaa Antwi Botchway has become the first woman to earn a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Ghana.

Dr Botchway’s journey from the village of Akaa Buem in the Oti region to becoming the first female to earn a PhD in Mathematics is a demonstration of her resilience and determination.

Born into a family of four, she is the second child of her parents. When her family moved to Accra for her moth­er’s education, they faced significant hardships, living with an aunt who struggled to make an ends meet while living in a crowded compound where the challenges of life were evident.

Her childhood years were not with­out challenges. At just seven years old, Dr Botchway began hawking goods to help make ends meet.

Her school life was equally challeng­ing. While her classmates brought a variety of foods to school, Dr Botch­way often packed leftover banku, which she and her brother would hide to avoid teasing.

After four years in Accra, the family moved to Asamankese, where she attended Life Preparatory School. Fol­lowing another move to Winneba, she continued her education at University Primary on North Campus.

Her experiences in Accra were marked by crime and instability, where gunshots from nearby gang members and police conflicts were a common occurrence.

Despite these hardships, Dr Botch­way’s determination never declined. She completed her basic education wearing the same uniform from class four through to Junior High School, as financial constraints made it impossi­ble to buy new clothes.

Transitioning to secondary school at Accra Girls, Gloria initially focused on Business subjects but soon discovered her true passion for

Mathematics. “I’ve always loved. Maths – It challenges me, and I want­ed to be in a field where few people ventured,” she said.

Her secondary school math teacher recognised her potential and urged her to pursue a career in academia. “He just told me that, Gloria, you have to be a Lecturer,” she remem­bers. This encouragement, coupled with her innate love for the subject, set Dr Botchway on a path that would ultimately lead her to make history.

It was this passion that led her to the University of Ghana, where she not only excelled academically but also forged a path for future genera­tions of female mathematicians. When she began her studies at the Univer­sity of Ghana, she initially opted for a Business Administration course but quickly chose Mathematics.

Inspired by mentors like Prof. Elsie Kaufmann and Dr Adu Gyamfi, who advised her on the advantages of a mathematics degree, she ultimately committed to the subject. “I wanted a challenging field where few people ventured,” she explained. “I realised that with a Math degree, I could still pursue Accounting if I wanted”, she added.

As she progressed through her undergraduate and graduate studies, she faced numerous challenges, both academic and personal. “Math is challenging. It’s not easy,” she admits. “But if you love it, you would do it.”

One of the most significant chal­lenges was the lack of female role models in her field. “People do not expect that you would go on with the Math,” Gloria explains. “Some­times they were very discourag­ing.” However, these doubts only fueled her determination to succeed.

In an interview with Dr Botchway’s colleague, Justine Johnson, he described her as a dedicated and ambitious individual who is practi­cal and determined.

He mentioned her leadership skills and how she helped set up a Maths study group, which helped him be­come proficient in Math. He also praised her de­termination, stating that “nothing is impossible, and she always strives to solve problems.”

Balancing her aca­demic pursuits with her personal life presented another set of chal­lenges. Dr Botchway got married during her Master’s programme and had two children before graduation.

She went on to have two more children during her PhD studies. “Life has to go on,” she says, crediting her supportive hus­band and family for helping her manage her multiple roles.

In 2024, Dr Botchway’s per­severance paid off when she became the first woman to earn a PhD in Math­ematics from the University of Ghana. This achievement is not just a person­al triumph but a significant milestone for gender representation in STEM fields in Ghana.

Now with her PhD, she is focused on making a lasting impact in her field and inspiring the next generation of female Mathematicians. Dr Botchway is involved in a project called “Enhancing M in STEM,” which aims to improve Mathematics educa­tion for girls in secondary schools.

Professor Deborah Atobrah, Director of the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA) at the University of Ghana, underscores the importance of Gloria’s achievement. “This is a very big achievement. It’s a huge feat in gender work for STEM. However, you know, we think this has taken too long for us to get here. But never­theless, we still celebrate this very important achievement”, she stated.

Speaking to the Head of the De­partment of Mathematics, Dr Chisara Peace Ogbogbo, she showered praises on Dr Botchway and applauded her work ethic.

Through her academic journey, Dr Botchway has shown determi­nation and persistence, setting the stage for her groundbreaking achievement. Her story is one of perseverance, representing the spirit of a woman who rose above her circumstances to achieve groundbreaking success.

Dr Botchway in her appreci­ation remarks thanks God for seeing her through it all. She also acknowledged her supervisor, Professor Anthony Yaw Aidoo of Eastern Connecticut State Univer­sity, for being supportive through­out her PhD journey.

She extended appreciation to her Department and the Uni­versity of Ghana for providing an enabling environment with waived fees.

She also acknowledged Dr Twum, Professor Seba and Dr Ogbogbo, for being in­strumental in the journey. Carnegie Corporation, through Professor Yaa Ntimoa-Baidu, supported her through the Carnegie Next Generation of Academics, Africa and Ban­ga project. Dr Botchway also thanked their family, especially her mother, Madam Margaret Aduam and her husband for their encouragement. She also thanked her friends for their selfless support throughout their journey.

As Ghana strives to increase female participation in STEM fields, stories like Dr Botchway’s serve as both inspiration and a call to action. Her journey from the market stalls of Teshie to the lecture halls of the Univer­sity of Ghana demonstrates that with determination, support and access to education barriers can be broken and new paths creat­ed. -ug.edu.gh

In a society where conversations about the safety and wellbeing of people have always tilted to the side of women and the girl child, one often wonder who cares about the state of the young boys at the same age as the girls.

Boys have been usually considered emotionally and physically stronger vessels, able to go through tough and difficult challenges without the support often enjoyed by girls who go through less or similar trials.

Some of these boys have grown up knowing of a popular Ghanaian par­lance ‘barima nsu’, which is literally translated to ‘men don’t cry.’

So, sometimes people don’t real­ise that behind this show of strength and swagger, lies a soft, emotionally traumatised boy that fears losing his masculinity by bringing out the other part of him.

This was what led to the establish­ment of the Boy Child Supportive Care Foundation, a little over a year ago, to provide that comforting shoulder for boys to share their concerns.

Even that thought to care for boys came from a woman, Edna Korama Yamoah, popularly known as ‘Woman King’ who stands for the plight of boys and men.

The story behind the Boy Child Sup­portive Care Foundation is quite fas­cinating, especially when both boys and men have failed to realise and accept their predicament.

But for the Woman King, boys and men must not see themselves in such strug­gles as a normal thing.

“You see, boys have been neglected for a long time. We always hear about the girl child. Everything in this society is about the girl child. We think the girls are vulnerable, but boys are more vulnerable.

In fact, most boys are more vulnerable than the girls. Boys get so emotional but they hide it because we always know them to be men and not expected to cry,” She explained.

After establishing the foundation, a lot of such boys have been brought to­gether, especially those that are going through emotional problems.

Within this short space of time, the foundation has man­aged to put about 16 boys in basic school, almost 200 in technical and vocation through scholarship, and has over 150 engaged in sports activities, specifically football and basketball.

Without support from organisa­tions, the foundation has struggled to send these boys to Senior High School (SHS) due to financial chal­lenges, although the SHS is free but without some needed logistics.

According to the Woman King, the work of the foundation requires oc­casional visits to schools where they talk about issues on mental health and wellbeing.

“We also do charity works. We also do feeding on the streets and ghettos.

“The foundation currently don’t have a hub to house them. That is even not a major concern now since most of them have places to sleep. It’s just that they are poor. They don’t have what to eat, they don’t have what to wear.”

“They are not necessarily street children. These are boys with their fami­lies aged between 10-21 years. They are with the fami­lies but we see clearly they are going wayward.

“So, we help them with counsel­ling. We do one-on-one counselling. We do interactive counselling. We do that a lot in secondary schools, espe­cially in five schools.

The foundation’s operations are not always smooth as expected because of their backgrounds.

“They are from poor homes. Some are very stubborn as well, and proud. Sometimes you want to help a boy child and he’s like, I’m comfortable where I am. I want quick money. I want to carry goods to get money.

But I have a way of facing them. So, I’m always in kick; every day, I’m in kick. You hardly see me in flashy clothing.

“I go to the gated houses where people cannot go, where the police won’t go. Me, I go there. I go to the ghettos to speak to them.

“I make them feel I’m not against them. Rather, I want to understand them, so they should also understand me.

“Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I just get out of my car and walk along the streets just to look at these boys, how they behave, and their mannerisms,” she narrated.

Woman King has currently written proposals to churches, organisations and philanthropists to find ways to fund these activities that she believes will help a lot of boys realise their dreams.

“I didn’t have any grant. I didn’t even have the idea of writing to do this because we were not even a year old. So we contacted a few people and they started adopting some of the cases.

“So we have people who have ad­opted the education project. We have only individuals who are taking care of individual boys. They pay their school fees and most of them are in the pri­vate schools. Because they want the boys to be in the private schools.

“But after a year, we are collaborat­ing with this big school with the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission.

We are also endorsed by the Minis­try of Arts and Culture. We have the endorsement because there is this upcoming project; Arts and Craft. We wanted to do it in the secondary schools, but we realised that Ghana Education Service may delay us,” she stated.

At the sports level, the foundation requires training and remuneration for their coaches in charge of their 14, 16 and 18 football teams.

Woman King is a mother of two girls and believes it is for a purpose that she did not give birth to a boy because her passion has led her to take care of so many of them.

“I feel so good and proud when I see something good coming from my boys. When I see them so happy, it makes me so happy, it makes me feel I am on top of the world.

“I feel good that I have made an impact in somebody’s life, because I see progress. All these boys are trans­formed.

“And at the end of the day, they all come saying thank you. So it makes me very proud and emotional.”

Womans King’s next agenda is to have a “Books and Stationary Support Festival coming up in the first week of January when schools reopen. We are doing this because I went to some schools, about two or three schools in some villages and the teachers ap­pealed to me to bring them books.”

In this regard, the foundation is call­ing for support to support these needy school children.

It is the belief of Woman King that the foundation would one day gain international recognition for the good works it is rendering to society.

By Cecelia Yada Lagba