Dominica Purewa

Founder of Ghana's first girls' school, pioneering women's education in West Africa

Dominica Purewa (1898–1987) was a trailblazing educator and social reformer from Ghana, best known for establishing the Adisadel College Girls' School in 1930—the first secondary school exclusively for girls in the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana). Her work challenged colonial-era gender norms and laid the foundation for women's education in West Africa. Born into a Hindu Indian family, Purewa migrated to the British colony as part of the indentured labor diaspora. Despite facing systemic racism and sexism, she leveraged her position as a schoolteacher to advocate for girls' access to higher education. Her school curriculum emphasized science, mathematics, and leadership, producing generations of female professionals. Purewa’s legacy is celebrated in Ghana’s National Museum and the Dominica Purewa Memorial Awards, which honor female achievers annually.

Her advocacy extended to labor rights for women in cocoa plantations, where she organized literacy programs. Purewa’s 1945 petition to the colonial government demanding equal pay for female teachers became a landmark in Ghanaian labor history. Historians like Dr. Akosua Perbi (Women in Ghana 1900–1960) credit her with transforming education from a male-dominated space to a platform for gender equality. Purewa’s work inspired later activists like Amma Serwah, who expanded girls' education networks across Africa.