About Afua Hesse
Published
Professor Afua Hesse (born 1953) is a paediatric surgeon in Ghana. For over five years in the early 1990s, she was the only paediatric surgeon for the whole of Southern Ghana.
She trained in surgery in the UK, including five years in Bristol, and became Ghana's first female paediatric surgeon. She has since trained over 45 paediatric surgeons across West Africa.
The start
She qualified at the University of Ghana Medical School in 1976, became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1983, then worked in Bristol until 1988.
The breakthrough
Back home she became Ghana's first female paediatric surgeon, and led operations to separate conjoined twins at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
The legacy
She has trained over 45 paediatric surgeons, and built international collaborations to improve care for children born with anorectal malformations.
References
- Dedey F, Gyedu A. Inspirational Women in Surgery: Prof. Afua A.J. Hesse, Paediatric Surgeon, Ghana. World Journal of Surgery. 2023;47:833-4. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-023-06929-2
- Eduku A, et al. Celebrating excellence: profiles of two distinguished leaders in Ghanaian healthcare. Postgraduate Medical Journal of Ghana. 2025;14(2). Available from: https://journal.gcps.edu.gh/index.php/pmjg/article/download/531/380
- Wireko V. A model of excellence: Prof. Afua Hesse's example. Daily Graphic. 25/08/2010. Via Modern Ghana. Available from: https://www.modernghana.com/news/293214/a-model-of-excellence-prof-afua-hesse039s-example.html
- The Spectator (Ghana). 2023.
