Born in Ghana on 11th December 1941, Her Excellency Mrs. Evelyn Anita STOKES-HAYFORD attended two of the best Schools in Ghana namely: Achimota Secondary School and Wesley Girls’ High School where she obtained Ordinary and Advanced Level of the General Certificate of Education (G.C.E.) respectively. Her good academic performance earned her admission into the University of Ghana where she pursued a degree in Political Science in 1962, as one of the only two female students admitted to the new Political Science Department of the University of Ghana and graduated with Bachelor of Arts (Honours).

She worked as a journalist with the Ghanaian Times after graduation in Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana and became the women’s editor and feature writer of that paper during which time she met and married Mr. Andrew Stokes. With her husband they set up Atlantic Cold store, Tema and became chairman of that company. When the family relocated to England, her academic excellence spurred her on to further heights at the College of Law, Braboeuf Manor Guildford, Surrey where she trained as a solicitor. She served her articleship with Heald Nickinson of Camberley, Surrey.

Her independent spirit made her start her own company with others and rose to the position of the Managing Director of Economic Development Associate in London from 1983 to 2000. She also worked with the Commonwealth Secretariat in London from 1989 to 1991 as a consultant and was in charge of Contact Promotion Programmes (CPP) at the request of the governments of Ghana and Sierra Leone, and other ECOWAS countries.

Apart from consulting for international and corporate bodies, her love for humanity drove her to take up social responsibilities including, volunteering to assist in the activities of Street Girls Aid (S’AID), a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) set up to assist street children as well as Director of Touch of Light NGO, to providing voluntary cataract surgery to Ghanaians.

Before her appointment as Ghana’s Ambassador to Italy, she was the Chairman and Managing Director of Caleb Global Properties Limited. At a mature age her strong belief in education drove her to return to seek additional training at the Whitney UK Limited, where she obtained Advanced Training and Mentoring Certificate in Real Estate Management.

Her hobbies include listening to music and participating in religious programmes and mentoring youth groups in various disciplines. She plays golf and is a chorister.