Legacy Girls’ College marked its 10th anniversary Saturday with the kind of celebration that doubles as a referendum on whether Ghana’s private education sector can genuinely transform women’s empowerment beyond marketing rhetoric.
The October 25 Speech and Prize Giving Day ceremony at Akuse brought together academics, parliamentarians, traditional authorities, and nearly 700 students whose presence represents a thirty-fold expansion from the school’s humble 2015 beginnings.
Mrs. Betty Djokoto, standing in for Dr. Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings, delivered the keynote address with a message that cut through typical ceremonial platitudes. Ghana’s development will accelerate when women occupy central roles in national planning rather than peripheral positions, she told attendees. Djokoto invoked Kofi Annan’s observation that no development strategy surpasses one involving women as central players, a quote that’s been repeated so often it risks losing meaning until you consider Legacy’s actual track record.
The school started with just twenty three students in a single multipurpose block that served simultaneously as classrooms, offices, dormitories, and kitchen. Ten years later, it operates at full capacity with students from across Ghana and beyond, offering both British and enhanced Ghanaian curricula. That growth trajectory suggests something beyond typical private school expansion, particularly in a country where many educational institutions announce ambitious visions but struggle past their first few years.
Founders Dr. Ellen Hagan and Mrs. Essie Anno Sackey established Legacy Girls’ College with what they described as a simple yet profound conviction. When girls receive knowledge and get nurtured to be confident, competent and caring, they can become whatever they choose and change the world. A decade later, that founding vision appears less like idealistic rhetoric and more like operational philosophy, according to multiple stakeholders who’ve watched the institution develop.
Head of School Grace Edziyie emphasized that Legacy transcends academics, challenging girls to grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially. The school’s core values, captured in the acronym I READ (Integrity, Responsibility, Excellence, Ambition and Determination), aren’t just displayed on walls but reportedly integrated into daily operations and character formation.
But here’s what makes Legacy’s anniversary noteworthy beyond typical school celebrations. The institution emerged during a period when private education in Ghana faced increasing scrutiny over whether expensive tuition translated into genuinely superior outcomes or simply replicated existing educational approaches with better facilities. Legacy positioned itself differently by focusing explicitly on female leadership development rather than just academic achievement.
Board Chairman Israel Titi Ofei described the 10-year milestone as more than nostalgia about past accomplishments. It represents a recommitment to nurturing girls who’ll lead at every level of society, grounded in both character and competence. Whether that aspiration translates into actual societal impact depends partly on tracking Legacy graduates’ trajectories in coming years.
Prof. Lydia Aziato, Vice Chancellor of University Health & Allied Sciences, offered personal testimony that carried particular weight. Two of her daughters attended Legacy, with one completed and another still enrolled. She expressed excitement watching them develop confidence and independence, crediting the school’s environment and approach. Such testimonials from prominent academics matter because they signal institutional credibility beyond marketing claims.
Millicent Clarke, the third shareholder and board director, advised students that success emerges from support networks rather than individual effort alone. When you surround yourself with individuals exemplifying confidence, integrity, and ambition, you naturally adopt those attributes yourself, she told recipients of academic and values-based prizes. It’s practical wisdom that acknowledges how institutional culture shapes individual development.
The ceremony recognized teaching and non-teaching staff who distinguished themselves over ten years, from classroom instructors to cooks, facility workers, nurses, counselors and housemistresses. That comprehensive recognition signals an understanding that educational excellence depends on entire ecosystems rather than just academic programs.
Students received prizes for various achievements, including academic performance and exemplifying school values. Notably, awards included recognition for speaking Ghanaian languages, suggesting Legacy intentionally resists the tendency of elite private schools to prioritize global competencies while neglecting local cultural grounding.
The program began with a minute of silence honoring former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, who passed away October 23 after a short illness. Her daughter Dr. Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings was scheduled to deliver the keynote but couldn’t attend due to her mother’s death. The timing underscored connections between Legacy’s mission and broader movements for women’s empowerment that Nana Konadu championed through the 31st December Women’s Movement.
Mrs. Djokoto’s keynote emphasized that intentional leadership over ten years meant maintaining focus on original vision while consciously adhering to core values that shape student behavior and character. She congratulated the founders for a vision that’s birthed a movement and legacy accelerating national development, language that might sound hyperbolic except Legacy’s expansion suggests genuine momentum.
The Eastern Region school now serves as Ghana’s first all-girls private boarding senior high school, a distinction that carries both symbolic and practical significance. It demonstrates that market demand exists for institutions specifically designed around female empowerment rather than coeducational models that claim gender neutrality while often perpetuating existing imbalances.
Whether Legacy Girls’ College becomes a transformative model that other institutions replicate or remains a boutique success serving primarily elite families will depend partly on how its graduates perform in universities, careers, and leadership roles. Early indicators suggest the institution has moved beyond aspirational rhetoric to create something substantive, but the ultimate verdict requires longitudinal tracking over coming decades.
The anniversary celebration continues through December with additional events including a fundraising dinner dance November 16 and carols service December 14. These gatherings aim to strengthen connections between students, staff, alumni, families, educators, partners, and friends while generating resources for the school’s next chapter.
For now, Legacy’s tenth anniversary offers a case study in whether intentional institutional design focused on women’s empowerment can produce measurably different outcomes. The school’s growth from twenty three students to nearly 700 suggests market validation, but whether that translates into genuine societal transformation remains the more challenging question.
