Dr Letitia Obeng honoured with a plaque at Liverpool’s newest hotel

Dr Obeng was the first Ghanaian woman to gain a doctorate in the sciences. She is a pioneering expert on the black fly and its connection to river blindness. After completing her doctorate in the United Kingdom, Dr Obeng returned to Ghana where she established and directed the Institute of Aquatic Biology for many years.

Liverpool City Council ran an online poll last year and voters were asked to select one pioneer from a group of eight. Almost 900 votes were cast and Dr Letitia Eva Obeng, Kitty Wilkinson, Fanny Calder topped the poll and now each has a high-tech meeting room named after them. The room plaques were officially installed on Monday, 10 January, which was also Dr Obeng’s 97th birthday.

The 16-storey, 221-bedroomed Novotel Liverpool will be the highest hotel in the city and is part of the £1bn Paddington Village development that is set to become an international hub for life sciences, health care and technology.

Dr Obeng also holds a DSc from Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and is a fellow and former president of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, is a silver medallist and life member of the Royal Society of Arts. She was also awarded the Order of the Star of Ghana, the highest award given by the Republic of Ghana.

Dr Oeng is the sister of the late Madam Theodosia Okoh, the designer of the Ghana flag.