Her Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Kings and their female consorts, as well as queens regnant, are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of add ...

Oheneba Lesley Akyaa Opoku Ware is a Ghanaian physician and diplomat. She is the ambassador of Ghana to the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Opoku Ware is also trained as a family physician. In 2017, she was appointed by Ghana's president as the Ambassador to the Russian Federation. She is also the ambassador to several other countries including

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Early life and education

Oheneba Lesley Akyaa Opoku Ware is the daughter of Victoria (née Victoria Nana Akua Afiiriyie Bando) and Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, the 15th King of the Ashanti Kingdom (

Asantehene The is the title for the monarch of the historical Ashanti Empire as well as the ceremonial ruler of the Ashanti people today. The Ashanti royal house traces its line to the Oyoko (an '' Abusua'', or "clan") Abohyen Dynasty of Nana Twum and ...

) hence the prefix of her name, "'' Oheneba''". Both of her parents were from Ashanti royalty; they married in 1945. Lesley is the youngest daughter of the Asantehene. She had two older siblings, Gifty Opoku Ware died 2018 and Nana Osei Opoku Ware died 2025. Lesley's father became monarch when he was enstooled in 1970. He was the

, and was referred to as Otumfuo, or "the highest". Her mother Victoria was unusual in that monarch's wives were not traditionally as influential as the monarch's mother was; Victoria became a ruler and influencer of policy, reportedly helping the King secure the throne. As first lady, Victoria had both political and diplomatic duties until her death in 1996. Lesley's father died in 1999 and his son did not inherit the title. Opoku Ware graduated from the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in 1981. She graduated from the Royal College of General Practitioners with a General Practice certificate as a family physician in 2003. (U.K)

Career

President Sarkissian and Ambassador Lesley Akyaa Opoku Ware

Opoku Ware spent most of her career in the United Kingdom. She was registered as a family physician specialty with the Ghana Medical and Dental Practice Board in 2013, and worked for the

Ghana Health Service The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is a Ghanaian government body established in 1996 as part of the Health Sector Reform of Ghana. The Health Service is under the Ministry of Health (Ghana), Ministry of Health. The health service primarily administers ...

for a brief time before embarking on this journey. An international Certificate of Tourism Attractiveness was received by Opoku Ware on behalf of the country for promoting tourism as an integral part of trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation.

Nana Akufo-Addo William Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the 13th president of Ghana from January 2017 to January 2025. He previously served as Attorney General of Ghana, Attorney General from 2001 to 20 ...

, President of the Republic of Ghana, commissioned her as Ghana's Ambassador to the Russian Federation on 12 September 2017. On 11 April 2018, she presented her credentials to the President of the Federation,

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

. She was still based in Moscow when she presented her credentials in Armenia to President

Armen Sarkissian Armen Vardani Sarkissian (; born 23 June 1952) is an Armenian politician, physicist, investor, businessman, and computer scientist who was the 4th president of Armenia from 2018 to 2022. He also was Prime Minister of Armenia from 1996 to 1997. ...

in January 2019. Later, in April 2019, she presented her credentials in Moldova and she was assured by

Tudor Ulianovschi Tudor Ulianovschi (, born 25 May 1983) is a Moldovan politician and diplomat who was Foreign Minister of Moldova between January 2018 and June 2019. Prior to that, he served as the Moldovan Ambassador to Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Education ...

that Moldova intended to create its own embassy in Ghana to further improve relations. In 21 June, she was given renewed credentials as the ambassador to Russia. The president, Nana Akufo-Addo, encouraged her and twenty other

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

s or high commissioners to assist their country in recovery after the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. , she was ambassador to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Russia.

Personal life

Opoku Ware is married with five children.

Recognitions

*Managing director of Euracare Medical Center in Accra. *Chairman of Petronia City Developments (2012 - 2015). *Ghana's Ambassador to Russia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Opoku Ware, Lesley Akyaa Ambassadors of Ghana to Armenia Ambassadors of Ghana to Azerbaijan Ambassadors of Ghana to Belarus Ambassadors of Ghana to Kazakhstan Ambassadors of Ghana to Moldova Ambassadors of Ghana to Russia Ashanti royalty Ghanaian women ambassadors 21st-century diplomats Alumni of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Ghanaian medical doctors 21st-century Ghanaian women 21st-century women physicians