Bernice Heloo
{{Short description|Ghanaian politician (1954–2024)}}
{{Use Ghanaian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Hon.
| name = Dr. Bernice Adiku Heloo
| honorific-suffix =
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| constituency_MP = Hohoe
| parliament = Ghana
| term_start =
| term_end =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| prior_term = 2013.to 2016
| order2 =
| office2 =
| term_start2 = 7 January 2013
| term_end2 = 6 January 2017
| president2 =
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 = John Peter Amewu
| order3 =
| office3 = Former Deputy Minister for Environment, Science and Technology and Innovation
| term_start3 = 2013
| term_end3 = 2017
| president3 = John Dramani Mahama
| birthname = Bernice Adiku Heloo
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1954|09|24|df=y}}
| birth_place = Hohoe, British Togoland (now Ghana)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|12|25|1954|09|24|df=y}}
| death_place =
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| nationality = Ghanaian
| party = National Democratic Congress
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| occupation =
| profession = Development expert
| cabinet = Minister
| committees = Appointments Committee
| portfolio =
| signature =
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| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Bernice Adiku Heloo (24 September 1954 – 25 December 2024) was a Ghanaian politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Hohoe Constituency.{{Cite web |title=Former Hohoe MP and Pencils of Promise partner to give Gborxome M/A Basic School a 6-unit classroom block - MyJoyOnline |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/former-hohoe-mp-and-pencils-of-promise-partner-to-give-gborxome-m-a-basic-school-a-6-unit-classroom-block/ |access-date=2021-05-17 |website=MyJoyOnline. |language=en-US}}
Early life and education
Heloo was born in Hohoe, Volta Region, Gold Coast on 24 September 1954,{{Cite web |title=Members of Parliament {{!}} Parliament of Ghana |url=http://www.parliament.gh/parliamentarians/330 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130223825/http://www.parliament.gh/parliamentarians/330 |archive-date=30 November 2016 |access-date=2016-09-15 |website=Parliament Of Ghana}}{{Cite web |title=Parliament of Ghana |url=https://www.parliament.gh/mps?mp=129 |access-date=2019-03-09 |website=Parliament of Ghana}} to Rev. E. T. Adiku and Comfort Adiku.
Heloo attended Mawuli School and OLA Girls' Secondary School, Ho. She obtained a BA in study of religions and an MPhil in adult education from the University of Ghana. She also obtained an M.Ed. in adult education, literacy for rural development from the University of Manchester. She obtained her doctorate degree in political economy from the Swiss Management Center University.
Career
Politics
= Member of Parliament =
Heloo was a minority member in the 6th and 7th parliaments of the 4th republic of Ghana. She was the member of parliament for Hohoe, Volta Region from January 7, 2013, to January 2021; this is her second term.{{Cite web |title=Ghana MPs - MP Details - Heloo, Adiku Bernice (Dr) |url=http://www.ghanamps.com/mps/details.php?id=5404 |access-date=2020-01-26 |website=GhanaMps.}}
As the parliamentary member for Hohoe Constituency, Heloo criticized the president of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for not addressing the kidnapping of the Takoradi girls in the 2019 state of the nation address.{{Cite web |title=MP criticizes President for not highlighting kidnapping girls in SoNA |url=http://www.ghananewsagency.org/social/mp-criticizes-president-for-not-highlighting-kidnapping-girls-in-sona-146536 |access-date=2019-03-09 |website=GhanaNewsAgency.}}
= 2012 election =
Hon. Heloo contested the Hohoe constituency parliamentary seat in the Volta Region on the ticket of National Democratic Congress during the 2012 Ghanaian general election and won the parliamentary seat with 40, 486 votes representing 81.58% of the total votes. He was elected over Obro- Adibo Janet Einefa of New Patriotic Party, Agbenorwosi Rich- Doh of Progressive People's Party (PPP), Cecil- Rhodes Dodge of PNC and Kutuadu Beauty of Convention People's Party. They obtained 6, 358 votes, 2, 462 votes, 193 votes and 129 votes respectively. These are equivalent to 12.81%, 4.96%, 0.39% and 0.26% of the total votes respectively.{{Cite web|last=FM|first=Peace|title=Hohoe Constituency Results - Election 2012|url=http://ghanaelections.peacefmonline.com/pages/2012/volta/hohoe/|access-date=2023-11-06|website=Ghana Elections - Peace FM}}
== 2016 election ==
Hon. Heloo was re- elected as a member of parliament for Hohoe (Ghana parliament constituency) in the Volta Region on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress during the 2016 Ghanaian general election with 35, 437 votes representing 82.09% of the total votes. He won the parliamentary seat over Marlon Praises Anipa of New Patriotic Party who pulled 6, 462 votes which is equivalent to 15.01%, parliamentary candidate for NDP Justine Kumordzi had 383 votes representing 0.9%, Ameckson Frank Sellasie of Progressive People's Party (PPP) had 269 votes which is equivalent to 0.6% and the parliamentary candidate for Convention People's Party Wisdom Kweku Adetor pulled 179 votes representing 0.4% of the total votes.{{Cite web|last=FM|first=Peace|title=Hohoe Constituency Results - Election 2016|url=http://ghanaelections.peacefmonline.com/pages/2016/volta/hohoe/|access-date=2023-11-06|website=Ghana Elections - Peace FM}}
= Deputy Minister =
Heloo was appointed by President John Dramani Mahama in 2013 to serve as deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology and Innovation. She served in that role in the John Mahama administration from 2013 to 2017.{{Cite web|last=Lumor|first=Shallom|date=3 December 2016|title=NDC advised against voting skirt and blouse|url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/politics/ndc-advised-against-voting-skirt-and-blouse.html|access-date=2020-12-08|website=Graphic Online|language=en-gb}}{{Cite web |title=We need more of Zoomlion's Recycling plant - Dr. Oteng Adjei |url=http://acarpghana.com/index.php/portfolios/item/27-we-need-more-of-zoomlion-s-recycling-plant-dr-oteng-adj |access-date=2020-12-08 |website=AcarpGhana |language=en-gb}}{{Cite web|title=Ghana Deputy Minister highlights progress in PCB Project|url=https://www.unitar.org/about/news-stories/news/ghana-deputy-minister-highlights-progress-pcb-project|access-date=2020-12-08|website=UNITAR|language=en}}{{Cite web |title=The ICAITM 2016 conference kicks off |url=https://blog.aau.org/the-icaitm-2016-conference-kicks-off/ |access-date=2020-12-08 |website=Blog Aau |language=en-GB}}
Personal life and death
Heloo was a Christian and was married.{{Cite web |title=Ghana MPs - MP Details - Heloo, Adiku Bernice |url=http://ghanamps.com/mps/details.php?id=2483 |access-date=2016-09-15 |website=GhanaMps.}} She died on 25 December 2024, at the age of 70.{{cite news |last1=Aggor |first1=Desmond Selase |title=Former Hohoe MP Bernice Heloo passes away |url=https://citinewsroom.com/2024/12/former-hohoe-mp-bernice-heloo-passes-away/ |access-date=25 December 2024 |publisher=Citi Newsroom |date=25 December 2024}}
References
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Category:University of Ghana alumni
Category:Alumni of the University of Manchester
Category:Women members of the Parliament of Ghana
Category:Ghanaian MPs 2013–2017
Category:Ghanaian MPs 2017–2021
Category:OLA Girls Senior High School (Ho) alumni