Member of Parliament for Salaga-South Constituency, Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah
The Member of Parliament for Salaga-South Constituency, Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah, delivered a heartfelt tribute in Parliament to celebrate the life and legacy of Professor Felix Israel Konotey-Ahulu, a renowned Ghanaian physician and scientist who passed away on May 27, 2025, at the age of 94.
In her statement delievered during proceedings on Monday, July 14, 2025, the MP described Prof Konotey-Ahulu as a “towering scientist” and “African intellectual giant” whose contributions to medicine, particularly in the field of sickle cell disease, left an indelible mark globally.
“Mr Speaker, Prof Konotey-Ahulu’s repertoire is too expansive and diverse to register in such a short tribute. In spite of this, Mr Speaker, I intend in this short tribute, to raise my voice as a celebratory dirge to an African intellectual giant whose footprints in both science and community, echoed around the world,” she told the House.
Born in 1930 in Odumase-Krobo to a Presbyterian Minister, Prof Konotey-Ahulu was a Kwegyir Aggrey distinguished Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Cape Coast and a consultant physician/genetic counsellor in London.
He taught in over 21 universities worldwide, including in Brazil, Australia, India, and several African nations.
Hajia Ibrahimah recounted her personal encounters with Prof Konotey-Ahulu, first meeting him at an event at the Ghana High Commission in London, where she served as Minister Counsellor.
She highlighted his humility, warmth, and approachability despite his global acclaim.
She also shared how the professor diagnosed and treated her chronic anaemia in 2010 with an affordable iron supplement, FEROGLAD C, which she continues to use.
“Mr Speaker, I had battled chronic anaemia and I had been to several consulting rooms without a permanent treatment of my condition. In 2010 when I went to Prof Konotey-Ahulu’s consulting room, I left with a permanent cure.
“He diagnosed me of a rare blood condition that inhibited my iron absorption. After this diagnosis, Prof-Ahulu placed me on an iron supplement FEROGLAD C and he said to ‘Zuwera you can get this drug off the counter with a repeat prescription’ he added Mr Speaker that ‘don’t worry about the cost because it is cheap but it will treat your condition’ Mr Speaker till date I take my FEROGLAD C religiously every day and it has kept me alive; cheap indeed it was and it remains cheap,” she recounted.
The MP praised Prof Konotey-Ahulu’s passion for Ghana, noting his optimism and practical solutions for improving the country’s health system, particularly in combating sickle cell disease and HIV/AIDS.
She emphasised his belief in never giving up on Ghana, a lesson she urged politicians to emulate by serving in the public interest.
Prof Konotey-Ahulu, a polymath who also composed music, including a seven-verse hymn titled “Time was created,” leaves behind a legacy that transcends borders and disciplines.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Rosemary, three children, 11 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and five sisters.
On behalf of Parliament and the people of Ghana, Hajia Ibrahimah extended condolences to the professor’s family and the Odumase-Krobo community, invoking his enduring legacy as a call to national service.
Quoting Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, she concluded, “Here was a man, when comes such another?”.
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