Dr Joyce Rosalind Aryee is a Ghanaian, former politician, reverend minister and a business person. Auntie Joyce as she is affectionately called is recognised for having served the country for more than 40 years in both the public and the private sectors.
She was the previous chief executive officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, and was the first woman in Africa to have held that role.
Born to a Fante mother and a Ga father, Auntie Joyce hails from Anorhor in the Greater Accra Region. She has four siblings, two females and two males. She is the second of four children. Her mum hails from Elmina in the Central Region.
Auntie Joyce is an orphan. Her father died when she was just seven-years old, and her mum passed on some fifteen (15) years ago. As a single parent, her mum had to go through hell in bringing her and her siblings.
Her mum who was an educationist wanted to bring all her children up through schooling, so she had to complement her salary with trading in baking in order to make sure that her children went through school.
During her early years, Auntie Joyce lived with her family in Suntreso in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi, where she started her early years of education at Methodist Primary School and Methodist Middle School. She later went to Achimota School and later graduated from the University of Ghana, Legon, with a BA (Hons) in English.
Auntie Joyce has been married twice. Her first husband, with whom she has a 37-year- old son, is a medical doctor. They lived together in Germany for many years, and relocated to Ghana later.
After some years, she met Dr. Charles Yves Wereko-Brobbey, who she had known since infancy, because their parents worked at the same place, and his senior sister happened to be her good friend.
They got married in 1996, but the marriage later broke down.
Auntie Joyce is a professional with a versatile range of qualifications and a rich mix of personal skills. Her abilities are primarily in the fields of environmental management issues, communication, public relations, and the complete development of the human being.
With over 40 years of public and private sector service, Auntie Joyce has acquired a wealth of experience, including editing and managing publications. She was the editor of an educational magazine, and a contributing editor of a leading Ghanaian business publication.
Auntie Joyce worked at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but in 1983, while at the Ghana Standards Board, she was appointed Secretary of Information.
She was later appointed and made the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) Secretary for Education, and later as a non-Cabinet minister to the National Commission for Democracy as Special Assistant to the Chairman.
Her service at the ministries and commission resulted in tremendous growth and stability in these sectors of the Ghanaian economy. Dr. Aryee played a very key role in the democratisation process while serving at the National Commission for Democracy.
She has also participated in several mining conferences in South Africa and Canada, and as a guest speaker at the “Women in Mining Conference” in Australia.
She has travelled widely, often in her official capacity, to Europe, visiting countries like Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), France, Ireland, Switzerland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria, Spain, Norway and Denmark.
She has also been to Asia (Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and India), the Americas (USA and Cuba), the Middle East (Israel and United Arab Emirates), and Africa (Tanzania, Gabon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Libya, Liberia, Algeria, Mali, Nigeria and Kenya.)
Auntie Joyce was given the Second Highest State Award, the Companion of the Order of the Volta in 2006, in recognition of her service to the nation. She is also the recipient of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG), Marketing Woman of the Year Award for 2007 and the African Leadership on Centre for Economic Development’s African Female Business Leader of the Year Award for 2009.
Auntie Joyce is an Honorary Fellow of the Ghana Institution of Engineers and received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Mines and Technology in recognition of her immense contributions to the growth of the mining industry
Achimota School named their 17th dormitory, ‘Rev Joyce R. Aryee House,’ after her, in honour of her selfless service to the nation and commitment as well as contribution to her alma mater
Auntie Joyce has co-authored the book- The Transformed Mind– with Samuel Koranteng-Pipim.
She is the founder and currently Executive Director of Salt & Light Ministries, a para-church organisation. She also runs the Joyce Aryee CONSULT, which focuses in the areas of management and communications.
