Born on 24 May 1975 at the Keta Government Hospital to Mrs Beatrice Essegbey and the late Godfred Kennie Essegbey, Mrs Emily Mamle Ama Abotsi was known as Mamle to her siblings and Emily to her friends. She was the fifth of her mother’s six children and the eleventh of her father’s twelve.
As a young girl, she remained in Keta under the care of her grandmother, the late Madam Janet Adwoa Anthony, while her parents relocated to Atebubu in the then Brong Ahafo Region. She often credited her grandmother for shaping her Christian faith and discipline, teaching her the importance of arriving early to church and introducing her to bargaining, a skill she humorously carried even abroad.
She received her primary and middle school education at AME Zion Primary and Middle School in Keta. After passing the Common Entrance Examination, she attended Kadjebi Secondary School for two years before returning to Keta Secondary School to complete her O-Level education. A gifted athlete, she excelled in the 400 metres, shot put and javelin, earning a full scholarship during her time in school. Following her studies, she joined the Ghana Police Service and was posted to Twifo Praso, but later resigned to pursue a Higher National Diploma in Purchasing and Supplies at Takoradi Polytechnic.
Her academic journey continued with a Bachelor of Laws degree from MountCrest University College and a Master of Laws degree at the University of Ghana, Legon.
At the time of her passing, she was in the second year of a PhD programme in International Security and Intelligence at the University of Professional Studies, Accra. She also broadened her interests through additional courses, including fashion and design at JACCD Design Institute Africa and an International Trade Law course at Harvard University.
Mrs Abotsi met her husband in December 1996, began their courtship in 2000 and married in 2004. After a brief stay in the United States during his studies at Harvard, they returned to Ghana and settled in Kumasi, where he lectured at KNUST.
In 2010, shortly after the birth of their first daughter, Etornam, she commenced her LLB studies in Accra with the full support of her family. Her husband later joined her in Accra to take up a position at GIMPA, and their son, Elikem, was born in 2019.
Beyond her immediate family, she extended her home and resources to others, adopting and mentoring several children and supporting financially challenged students through their education.
Her devotion to family was evident in her care for her parents, making regular trips to Ada and Keta to deliver supplies and personally supervising her mother’s recovery during illness.
In late 2024, she brought her father to stay with her in Accra and organised a small birthday celebration for him before his passing on 19 January 2025.
Those who knew her describe a woman of fierce determination, deep compassion and unshakeable faith. Though her passing has come too soon, her life was marked by purpose, service and an enduring commitment to learning and to others.
She is survived by her husband, children, mother, siblings and many whose lives she touched.
May she rest in peace.
