Theodosia Okoh
| Theodosia Salome Okoh | |
|---|---|
| Born |
13 June 1922 Effiduase, Gold Coast (British colony) |
| Died | 19 April 2015 (aged 92) Tema, Ghana |
| Citizenship | Ghanaian |
| Known for | Design of the Flag of Ghana |
| Notable work | Ghana National Flag |
| Title | Chairman of the Ghana Hockey Association and President of the Ghana Hockey Federation |
| Parent(s) | Rev. & Mrs. Asihene |
Theodosia Salome Okoh (13 June 1922 – 19 April 2015) was a Ghanaian stateswoman, teacher and artist known for designing Ghana's flag in 1957. She also played a leading role in the development of hockey in Ghana.
She was born as Theodosia Salome Abena Kumea Asihene in Effiduase to the Very Reverend Emmanuel Victor Asihene, a former moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, and Madam Dora Asihene, both from Anum in the Asuogyaman District of Ghana's Eastern Region. She was the fourth of eight children.
She started school at Ashanti Efiduasi Primary School, continued to the Basel Mission Middle, Senior and Teacher Training Schools in Agogo and then Achimota School, where she received three years training in Fine Art.
When on Ghana's Independence from Britain the need for a new flag was advertised, she submitted her design, which was adopted as the national flag of Ghana by the country's first president Kwame Nkrumah from 6 March 1957. As she explained in an interview: "I decided on the three colors of red, gold and green because of the geography of Ghana. Ghana lies in the tropics and blessed with rich vegetation. The color Gold was influenced by the mineral rich nature of our lands and Red commemorates those who died or worked for the country’s independence. Then the five-pointed lone star which is the symbol of African emancipation and unity in the struggle against colonialism…."
She was married to Enoch Kwabena Okoh, Head of Civil Service in the Kwame Nkrumah regime in the 1960s, and had three children: E. Kwasi Okoh, Stanley Kwame Okoh and Theodosia Amma Jones-Quartey.
Theodosia Okoh was the first female chairman of the Ghana Hockey Association and later President of the Ghana Hockey Federation for more than 20 years, and it was during her tenure that Ghana first qualified for both the Hockey World Cup and the Olympic Games. She was named "the Joan of Arc of Ghana hockey" by Ohene Djan "because she rose to the occasion to save Ghana hockey when men were faltering and vacillating about development of the game. This is also the reason why the National Hockey Stadium was named after her in 2004". She was a long-time patron of the Ghana Sports Writers’ Association of Ghana.
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