An Eulogy by Eric Cobbinah – Your Son in Public Service
There is an adage that when a mother makes you, you thank her once. When she forgives you and makes you again, you owe her a lifetime of gratitude. Hon. Emelia Arthur, as you attain the diamond jubilee of 60 years, I want the world to know why my gratitude to you is for a lifetime. In 2011, I had just completed my master’s degree from the Institute of Development Studies now School of Development Studies in University of Cape Coast.
At the time, I possessed the certificates but lacked direction and working experience. You looked at me and said, “Young man, can you work with my NGO? Young people today are impatient; they pursue money at the expense of professional experience.” That singular question altered the trajectory of my life.
My Professional Development
First, you made me professionally. You appointed me as the Programmes Coordinator of your organization, Integrated Action for Development Initiatives (IADI) my first employment. You did not offer me wealth; you offered me what is far more valuable: exposure and grounding. Under your leadership, with funding from STAR-Ghana, we implemented the Doors to the Future Project, which established 26 Reading and Writing Clubs in Junior High Schools in Shama District. Through this intervention, we improved the Basic Education Certificate Examination pass rate from a distressing 37% in 2010 to 72% in 2013. From you, I learned that genuine social work is not performed from air-conditioned offices, but under trees, in classrooms, and among children whose futures hang in the balance. You laid my professional foundation.
My Political Development
Secondly, you made me politically. I first encountered you as District Chief Executive for Shama. Your performance was so exceptional that President John Evans Atta Mills elevated you to Deputy Western Regional Minister. Your elevation created a vacancy for which I contested. At vetting, the committee acknowledged my exceptional performance but deemed me too young and lacking requisite experience, a decision that triggered series of demonstrations by the youth of Shama in my support. You counselled me, you steadied me, and you built my capacity through the NGO work with IADI.
In 2015, following the completion of Hon. Kojo Appiah’s tenure, you called me and said, “Eric, this is your time, and I will ensure I lobby for you to become District Chief Executive for Shama.” As Presidential Staffer/Advisor to the President, you advocated for me in rooms I had no access to. This assurance from you became a reality when I was appointed DCE for Shama in December, 2015.
Strategic Development
Thirdly, you made me a strategist. From you, I learned the art of timing, the wisdom of quiet lobbying, the imperative of community entry, and the ability to convert weakness into strength. I watched you transform public scrutiny into an asset at your ministerial vetting. As Member of Parliament and now as Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, you have demonstrated the same strategic depth – visiting landing beaches rather than summoning fisherfolk to Accra, reforming premix fuel distribution with transparency, combating illegal fishing practices, and promoting inland aquaculture as a pathway to food security.
The Servant Leader
Also, you shaped me as a development-oriented public servant. As DCE, you institutionalized participatory governance in Shama. As MP, you redefined representation through an open-door policy and a relentless focus on roads, education, youth empowerment, and improvement in the welfare of the people. As Minister since January 2025, you have pursued sectoral reforms with empathy and rigour.
From you, I learned that public service is not about titles and protocol, but about tangible development outcomes that people can feel. You taught me servant leadership. You have occupied high offices DCE, Deputy Regional Minister, Presidential Staffer and Advisor, Member of Parliament, and Minister of State yet you have never lorded over anyone. You sit on low benches at landing beaches to listen to fisherfolk, you prioritize listening over issuing directives, and you make power accessible.
You taught me that leadership is an opportunity to serve, not an avenue to dominate. That philosophical reorientation has shaped my entire perspective on public service.
A True Mother
Finally, you revealed yourself as a true mother who forgives. After we lost the 2016 general election, my relationship with you became strained. Against your counsel, I contested against you in the acrimonious 2023 NDC parliamentary primaries in Shama. I stepped on your toes on countless occasions. You won; I lost. I was convinced that my political career had come to an end. In our political lexicon, it is said that political sins are unforgiven. But you are not merely a politician; you are a mother.
Beyond my transgressions, you forgave me. You carried me along. Today, as you serve as MP for Shama and Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, I have the honour of serving as Deputy Executive Director of the Fisheries Commission within your own sector, under your leadership. Only a mother with a heart larger than politics would do that.
At 60, you are not old; you are refined gold – resilient, radiant, and remarkably relevant. You represent six decades of service, sacrifice, strategy, and maternal grace. As you celebrate this diamond jubilee, I pray that God grants you good health, long life, and prosperity. May He preserve you for Shama, for Ghana, and for all of us whose lives you have built and rebuilt.
Happy 60th Birthday, Hon. Emelia Arthur. Thank you for making me, forgiving me, and making me again. I remain forever your grateful son.
Eric Cobbinah (Ph.D.)
Deputy Executive Director
Fisheries Commission
