Juliana Jocelyn Azumah-Mensah was a Ghanaian politician and nurse. She was the Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, Member of Parliament for the Ho East constituency, and a member of the National Democratic Congress.

Hon. Juliana Jocelyn Azumah-Mensah was born on 15th June 1950 at Koforidua, in the Eastern Region of Ghana. She is married with two children. Her hobbies include dancing, reading, sewing, counseling, gardening, painting, and decorating (D.I.Y).

Education

She had her primary and middle school education at the R.C. Primary and Local Authority Middle Schools, Agotime Kpetoe, in the Volta Region (1956-1964); Ola Secondary School-Volta Region (1964-1969) and obtained the GCE in 'O' level certificate.

She pursued further studies at the Ipswich East Anglia School of Nursing, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK and qualified in August 1973 as a State Registered General Nurse; Midwifery student at the St. Peter's Hospital, Chertsey and Surrey-UK September 1974 to August 1975; Postgraduate studies at the University of Birmingham, UK and obtained MSc. Health Management and Administration in October 1997.

Work history

Hon. Juliana Jocelyn Azumah-Mensah has rich working experience. Among others, she was a clerical officer at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning from June 1969 to June 1970 and; Staff midwife at the Green District Hospital, Woolwich, South London (1975-1976).

She worked with private and national health hospitals as both General Nurse and Midwife through Nursing Agencies in London (1984-1987).

Appointed Executive Secretary/Director of Health Services, Ho Diocese, Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana and the Regional coordinating Director of the Catholic Health Services, Ghana (May 2001-September 2004).

Politics

Hon. Juliana Jocelyn Azumah-Mensah was elected a Member of Parliament for Ho East Constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in January 2005.

She has served on various committees in Parliament. She has been a member of the Appointments Committee; Ranking Member - Committee on Gender and Children; Member-Committee on Health; Member - Committee on Foreign Affairs (till 2007). She was appointed Minister of Tourism in the President Mills government and later Minister of Women and Children Affairs after a cabinet reshuffle

On December 7, 2012, Hon. Juliana Jocelyn Azumah-Mensah was elected Member of Parliament for Agotime-ziope following the passage of a constitutional instrument to create 45 additional constituencies thereby dividing the Ho East parliamentary seat which she represented in parliament for four.

International profile and membership

In March 2008, she was a member of the Parliamentary Delegation to China. Other travels she has undertaken whiles in Parliament include:

• Ministerial Delegation to Dinwna–Israel, study tour on Regenerative health and nutrition
• Gender Committee Delegation to IPU, Geneva, Switzerland (October 2007)
• 2nd World Conference on Women Parliamentarians on Children's Rights, Sofia, Bulgaria (June 2006)
• Conference of Selected Commonwealth Parliamentarians, Ottawa, Canada (November 2005)

• Parliamentary Ethics organized by the International Development Law Organization (September 2005)
• Health Administration and Management Course for Executive Secretaries, GIMPA, Legon, Ghana (June-July 1997)
• Conference on Health for All Global Partnerships, UNICEF Barbican Centre, London, UK.

• Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GRNA)
• United Kingdom Central Council of Registered Nurses (UKCC)
• Executive Board Member-Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG)
• Director, Community Initiative for Women Development (CIWOD)

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