Abigail Ashley
UTV’s Abigail Ashley has been named the first Ghanaian woman and media personality to take to the skies during this year’s Kwahu Easter Paragliding Festival.
Speaking after her historic flight, Abigail Ashley, who is the host of the television shows ‘My Health, My Life’ and ‘Mo Ho YƐ’ on UTV and Okay FM, described the experience as both fun and rejuvenating, highlighting the thrill and comfort she felt once airborne.
She praised her pilot and expressed sheer joy over the unforgettable moments in the air.
“It was fun and stress-free. Just a few hurdles before takeoff, but once I was up there, it felt cozy,” she said, adding that a mid-air roller coaster-like movement added to the excitement.
She, however, called for expanded opportunities for paragliding beyond the usual Easter celebrations, urging the Ghanaian government and tourism authorities to make the activity available on weekends.
“I believe this is something we shouldn’t limit to just Easter. The Ghana Tourism Authority and the government should open it up more every weekend. People should come and enjoy the weather and the paragliding; it’s fun! We could even generate revenue and repair roads with it,” she stated.
Her historic first flight serves as a moment of pride for Ghana, particularly as paragliding has traditionally been dominated by foreign participants.
She hopes her achievement will inspire more Ghanaians to take up the challenge and embrace the thrilling sport.
Abigail is also a health advocate and the project leader and founder of Behind My Smiles Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that focuses on kidney health education.
In 2017, she was listed in the 50 Young Most Influential People in Ghana by Advanced Media.
In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Abigail won the Health Legends Award. In 2020, she was also honoured with Social Media Health Advocate of the Year Award for using social media to promote healthcare and healthy lifestyle.