GSA honours 2020 retirees

The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), last Friday, organised a send-off ceremony in honour of five retiring staff in Accra after several years of service.

For their dedication to work and service to the organisation, each retiring staff received a package and a framed citation from the Standards Authority.

The retiring staff included Mrs. Prudence Asamoah-Bonti, Deputy Director General (Operations - OPS), Mr. Paul Michael Date, Head, Scientific Metrology Department, Mr. Christopher Aguyiba, Human Resource Department, Ms. Mary Esi Misenu, Deputy Director General (OPS) Secretariat and Ms. Judith Anku of the Koforidua Office.

They had served the GSA from a minimum of 16 to a maximum of 39 years.

Mrs. Angela Awere-Kyere, Acting Director of Procurement, thanked the retirees on behalf of management for their invaluable service to the organisation over the years. She said: “Collectively, your service to the organisation is greatly appreciated, and it is my hope that all others who are yet to retire will emulate this”.

Notably, each of the 5 retirees rose through the ranks from the lowest grade to higher levels before they retired as represented in their citations signed by Prof., Alex Dodoo, the Director-General of the GSA.

Mr Christopher Aguyiba, the longest-serving among the five, was transferred from the position of Gardener to the Personnel Department where he rose from Clerk Grade III to Chief Office Assistant until his retirement after 39 years of meritorious service.

From a Clerk Grade II/Typist in June, 2000, and with only a stenographer certificate from the Government Secretarial School, Ho, Judith Anku worked for 19 years to attain her retirement grade of Senior Administrative Officer, after she earned a Degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Human Resource Option) in April, 2008.

Ms. Mary Misenu gained appointment as Typist Grade I attached to the Personnel Department in August 1989. From this level, Mary worked diligently through the ranks to become Chief Administrative Assistant before retiring. Along the line she held several positions including Administrative Officer, Senior Administrative Officer, Principal Administrative Officer.

Mary also served in several departments such as Standards & Specification Division, Directorate of Finance, Certification Directorate, and the then Office of Deputy Executive Director ( Core Services). Mary was known for her affable nature and willingness to accept additional responsibility without complain throughout her 31 years of service.

Mr. Paul Date retired as Chief Scientific Officer and left an impact that stretches beyond the GSA and the shores of Ghana. He joined the GSA as an Assistant Scientific Officer I in the Metrology Department with BSc. (Hons.) in Physics, from the University of Cape Coast.

His contributions to the EU countries and in PTB, BiPm, UNIDO, WFP, AFRIMETS, NEWMET, ECOMET and West Africa put the GSA on the world map of standardisation organisations. He was awarded the Chinese Government and Commonwealth Commission scholarship to pursue a Master’s course in Physical Optics and Electronics in 1998 and is credited with securing accreditation and maintenance of the accreditation status of GSA’s metrology laboratories.

In his 27 years with the GSA, he served the Metrology Directorate with consistent dedication and hard work, rising from Scientific Officer in September 2002 to Principal Scientific Officer in 2010. He was President of ECOMET from 2017 to 2020, Vice President of AFRIMETS in 2011 to 2014, and Vice President of NEWMET from 2009 till retirement.

Mrs. Prudence Asamoah-Bonti was appointed initially as a Scientific Officer in February 1996 and attached to the Quality Assurance Division of the then Ghana Standards Board. She was then transferred to the Standards and Specifications Division on completion of her induction programme. She pursued an MPhil Degree in Food Science (2000-2001) at the University of Ghana was made acting Head of the Testing Unit (Chemical Science Division) in 2003. She was transferred to the Destination Inspection Department (Tema Office) in December of the same year.

In March 2004, she became Head of the Food and Agricultural Standards Unit and promoted to the grade of Senior Scientific Officer in December 2005, and subsequently to Principal Scientific Officer in January 2008. She was later appointed as acting Head of Food Materials Standards Department from where rose to the highest position of the Scientific Grade as a Chief Scientific Officer in January 2012.

As you continued to excel in your endeavours, you were appointed the Acting Director, Standards Directorate in February 2018 and duly confirmed as the substantive Director of the Standards Directorate. Consequently, in January 2018 you were appointed as the Acting Deputy Director General (Operations) a position you held until you gracefully retired in October 2020.

Mrs. Asamoah-Bonti will be remembered as a hard-working staff who contributed towards improvement of Standardization not only in Ghana but internationally, including the continent of Africa. A mark of her 24 years of service is an ability to combine vision and resourcefulness in achieving set goals, combined with steadfastness and demonstrated diligence.

In celebrating the 5 retirees, the GSA welfare committee organised a send-off party at the head office for their several years’ contribution to the organisation. This took place during the second part of the send-off programme where retirees and staff were served food and drinks with an opportunity for interaction and networking.

Present at the ceremony was Mr Steve Poku-Kwateng, Deputy Director-General (Operations) who joined Mrs Awere-Kyere to handover the gifts, as well as cut the cake.