His Life

Ebenezer Dornu Soli was born on Sunday, 22nd August 1954 at Ada-Foah. His mother was Mrs. Edith Kotey, née Kwablah, an educationist by profession, and his father was Asafoatse Akpototsu II, known in public life as Mr. Ben Tetteh Soli. He was the second child and the firstborn son of his mother’s four (4) children.

In 1960, Eben and his sister were moved from Ada-Foah to join their mum, who was then teaching at Krobo Women’s Training College. Hence, he attended the L/A Primary School, Odumase Krobo, for his primary education. Eben himself narrated to us how his mum, a disciplinarian by nature and an educationist, developed a strategic plan between herself and his class teacher to keep him in primary school.

From there he attended Osu Salem Boys’ Middle School for three (3) years before gaining admission to Presby Boys’ Secondary School, PRESEC Legon. Eben was an athlete and represented PRESEC at many inter-school competitions while a student there.

Ebenezer gained admission into the Kwadaso Agriculture College in February 1976, to pursue a three (3) year Post-Secondary School Certificate in General Agriculture, with the encouragement of his Uncle Val, who went to the same college and lived in Kumasi at the time.

His interest being in animals, he took related courses seriously, and when it came to choosing departments under the Ministry of Agriculture for postings, he opted for the then Department of Animal Husbandry for his practicals. He was the dining hall prefect in his last year at Kwadaso.

In 1983, he was awarded a scholarship to study Tropical Animal Production at Deventer in the Netherlands, granting him expertise in animal nutrition, feed formulation, breeding, and pig and poultry farm management. Later, in 1987, he undertook a two-year diploma course in Renewable Natural Resources Management at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, which spurred his interest in pasture development and management.

Driven by a constant need for new knowledge and personal development, he signed up for a sandwich course at the Institute of Adult Education of the University of Ghana, Legon, leading to the award of a Master of Arts degree in Adult Education in 2008.

Eben’s zeal for continuous learning and commitment to hard work was possible because of the strict role his mum, Mrs. Edith Kotey, affectionately called Sister, played in his life, by providing a family support system for him from childhood, as a young man, and throughout his entire life until she passed away in 2019.

Ebenezer, after successfully finishing his practical training at the Department of Animal Husbandry, was appointed Technical Officer Grade 2 in February 1979. He continued his work at the Amrahia Dairy Farm in the Greater Accra Region, where he had undertaken his practical attachment. He was responsible for the day-to-day management of dairy cows, involving breeding, feeding and milking, among other tasks.

By dint of hard work, he was promoted to Technical Officer Grade 1 in July 1987. He was then transferred to the Agriculture Extension Department, where he was responsible for the training of livestock farmers in dry-season feeding and the general management of poultry and livestock, and the development of paddocks for pasture.

Between 1990 and 1992, under the Pasture Development and Seed Bulking Unit at Ablorh Adjei, as a Project Officer he was responsible for the development of pasture and pasture seed production. He was later transferred to the Dangme West District in 1992 as an extension officer, responsible for the training of farmers in non-traditional crops and animals, post-harvest management and integrated pest management. In September 1995, after gaining knowledge from a fish processing and preservation workshop organised by the University of Ghana, he also focused on transferring knowledge and skills on the construction of improved chorkor ovens for fish processing, and other forms of fish preservation, to his constituents.

He returned to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) as Management Information Systems Officer, training and supporting Agricultural Extension Agents in data collection and the compilation of activity-related reports. Ebenezer went through all the ranks until he was Deputy Director of Agriculture in 2012, and finally assumed the seat of AMA Director of Agriculture before his compulsory retirement in August 2014.

Ebenezer began his own backyard poultry keeping in 1979, and added piggery to it later, only skipping when the environment was not conducive. From 1998 to date, however, he has been at it. He was a member of the Ga East Chapter of the Greater Accra Poultry Farmers’ Association.

Over his lifetime, Ebenezer also provided consultancy services as and when required of him. He was a consultant to the Christian Service Farms at Yahoman, in the then Ga Rural District, from 1993 to 1996, responsible for feed composition, breeding and the general management of their pigs, poultry and cattle. He also offered consultancy services to anyone who approached him for assistance in pig and poultry farming.

In 2010 and 2011, he assisted the AMA in coordinating the distribution of premix fuel to fishermen’s associations in Accra. After his retirement from the Ministry, he was appointed Farm Manager of the Abokobi Agricultural Project by the Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, from 2015 to 2023.

Eben was baptised and confirmed into the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in his early years. In his adult years he was a constant pillar in every congregation in which he found himself, usually taking centre stage whenever development activities of the church required a lot of legwork.

He was an active communicant member, earlier serving with the Presby Church, James Town, British Accra, and later with the Hosanna Congregation, Ashongman, of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. He was elected as a session member and served as a Presbyter from 2017 through 2021. Until his call to glory, he was the Chairman of the Properties Committee of the Congregation, and very serviceable.

Eben was married to Mrs. Victoria Aku Soli, née Tettey. The marriage is blessed with four (4) children, Vera Ogeh, Cynthia Ogehkuor, Leticia Ogehmle and Michael Agbo, and seven (7) grandchildren.

Eben was a family man, very gentle and generous towards everyone. He was very hardworking, dependable and ever willing to assist in any way possible. He was one of the few strong leaders of our Kwablah-Kanor-Lomotey family, and with his departure a big vacuum has been created. We will always remember the support and sacrifices he made for the aged and the young to make the family what it is today. Thank you, Bro’ Eben.

He made enormous contributions to many family programmes, notably the First January family celebration at Ada-Foah, leading the family to mediate in difficult conflicts, representing the family at the marriage ceremonies of the next generation, and, most importantly, just being there for us through all the changing scenes of life.

He was easy to interact with, always with a smile. He was a free, happy-go-lucky personality, generous to a fault, with many friends; age and gender were not a barrier. He was a member of the Fifty/Fifty Area Landlords’ and Residents’ Association of Pure Water in Old Ashongman.

On Friday, August 14th, our beloved son, father and brother woke up to what we thought was a normal day for him. He attended to his normal schedule at his poultry farm and was waiting to honour an appointment at 2pm. But God had other plans for him. Eben ended this day at the hospital in a coma, and passed on to eternity two days later.

No words can describe the shock and the pain our families have suffered in the past few weeks, especially because nobody heard of his sickness. Hmmm! We do not understand, but what can we say, than to thank God for blessing us with Eben’s life, and to say with the songwriter: