Lydia Essuah

Biography

Mrs Lydia Obenewa Essuah is the Chief Director at Ghana’s Ministry of Education (MoE), bringing over two decades of expertise in development planning, public financial management, policy formulation, public administration and international multilateral negotiations. She is a product of Coventry University, UK and the University of Ghana, Legon. Professionally, she is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Administrators and Management Consultants (CIAMC) and a member of the Institute of Directors - Ghana (MIoD).

Her distinguished public service career includes several leadership roles, currently she is leading the Ministry of Education team in developing a World Bank and Government of Ghana project, “Secondary Education Transformation for Access, Relevance and Results for Jobs (STARR-J). With the objective to expand access, improve quality and relevance of secondary education. As the Director of the Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate (PPME) at the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), she guided strategic reforms, developed sector policies and budgets, and led ground breaking initiatives. Among these were the review of Ghana’s National Plastics Management Policy, later approved by Cabinet, and the design of the e-waste recycling and disposal programme, which empowered informal scrap dealers in Agbogbloshie while promoting sustainable waste management.

Her influence extended internationally where she chaired the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and represented Africa in developing a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution. In 2024, she co-moderated a high-level United Nations General Assembly session on “Means of Implementation” for the treaty, alongside Norway’s Minister of Environment.

Mrs Essuah has overseen several major national and international projects, including the Local Government Capacity Support Project (LGCSP) and the Urban Development Grant (UDG), which advanced decentralisation and local service delivery. Beyond her administrative expertise, Mrs Essuah is recognised for her commitment to institutional strengthening and sustainable development, she remains passionate about building resilient public institutions and mentoring emerging leaders in Ghana’s Civil Service.