Ekua Zara Awonana Ghartey-Tsagli of the Labadi beach Hotel has won the Women Empowerment Personality category of the coverted Millennium Excellence Award.
Mrs Ghartey-Tsagli, who believes in making a meaningful impact in society through charities and advocacy for women empowerment and girl child education, received the accolade at a ceremony at Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, on July 17 th 2021 which attracted emminent dignitaries both local and foreign with the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo as the special guest of honour. She received a citation that reads “Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! The Life Patron, HRM Ottumfuo Osei Tutu II- Asantehene and the illustrious Board of Governors of the Millennium Excellence Foundation, are pleased to confer on you the coveted Millenium Excellence Award for Women Empowerment in high recognition of your significant contribution to women development in the Hospitality Industry in Ghana. The Millenium Excellence Foundation exists to celebrate and showcase achievers and role models like you as shining footprints for others to follow. Your credentials in the Hospitality Industry is extraordinary and of great influence and motivation to others.”
The Millennium Excellence Awards is one of the country’s most prestigious awards, held under the patronage of Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
It is held every five years and honours the best institutions and individuals in all sectors of the Ghanaian economy, who have risen beyond all odds to achieve excellence in their various fields to achieve excellence for national development.
In this year’s edition, the twentieth, held at the Manhyia Palace, in Kumasi, had more than 60 personalities and corporate bodies conferred with awards.
Ekua Zara Awonana Ghartey-Tsagli was born on in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where her father was serving in the United Nations as a Director (International Labor Organization – ILO).
She began her primary education at St. Saviors’ School in Ikoyi, Lagos -Nigeria and continued to the British International School in Geneva, Switzerland. She proceeded to England to commence her secondary education at St. Andrews school, North Harrow, London. Her parents decided to bring her to Ghana to continue her secondary education in Achimota Secondary School where she completed her General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level (O’Levels) certificate Examination. This decision was to enable their daughter to integrate within the Ghanaian system, learn a local language and make friends.
She left back to England for her General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A’Levels) at Farringtons, a girl’s boarding School in Chislehurst, Kent.
Thereafter, she entered West London College and Southgate University where she studied Hotel Management & Tourism.
Upon completion of her education, Metropole Hotels, Lonrho, employed her in 1991 into Ghana’s only 5 Star Labadi Beach Hotel. Her ice breaking practical and training experience began in the same year at the London Metropole Hotel for nine (9) months and the Birmingham Metropole Hotel for a further period of time before assuming duties as the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager complementing the few expatriate staff at the time.
With dexterity, Ekua has since developed a rare niche for herself in the country’s hospitality space through her creativity and penchant for excellence.
These distinctive qualities and attributes make her stand out like an ‘ornament’ at the top of a Christmas tree.
Presently the Deputy Food and Beverage Manager, she has been quite instrumental and contributed significantly to the immense growth and transformation of the Labadi Hotel operated by Legacy Hotel and Resorts of South Africa.
Driven by purpose and intimate desire in satisfying her customers and clients at all times, translating into increasing the bottom-line of her organization.
She has supported and sponsored many charitable courses over the years
