Ruby Yayra Goka


Ruby Yayra Goka is a Ghanaian dentist and author. She is best known for being a multiple Burt Award for African Literature winner in Ghana.
Goka, who is an alumnus of the University of Ghana Dental School, currently heads the Dental Department of the Ho Teaching Hospital.

Life

Born in Accra, Ghana, Goka was born to Simon Yao Goka, a retired diplomat and Lydia Aku Goka, a stay-at-home-mother. When Ruby was two years old, her family moved to Ethiopia, where she attended the Peter Pan International School. When she was six, her family moved back to Ghana and she continued her basic and secondary education at the St. Anthony's School and Achimota School respectively both in Accra.
She obtained a BDS from the University of Ghana Dental School in 2009 and worked for two years at the Ridge Hospital Accra, in Accra. She later moved to Sogakofe, where she worked for two years at the South Tongu District Hospital. She is a fellow of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons after completing her residency training at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi in 2016 and her fellowship training at the University of Ghana Dental School, Accra in 2023. She currently heads the Dental Department of the Ho Teaching Hospital, Ho.
In 2017, Goka won an award in the Authorship and Creative Writing Category in the 40 under 40 awards in Ghana. She was also awarded a Medical Excellence Award in Dentistry in the same year. Goka is a 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow.

Awards

  • Monteiro Lobato FNLIJ Award 2023 '
  • Rise: A feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 Honour Book 2023 '   
  • Efua Sutherland Children's Book Prize 2022/Ghana Association of Writers' Children's Story Prize '
  • Brittle Paper's 100 Notable African Books of 2022 '
  • Books for Keeps Ten of the Best: Books from the Commonwealth 2022 '
  • Kirkus Review 2022 '
  • School Library Journal Review 2022 '
  • Efua Sutherland Children's Book Prize 2021/Ghana Association of Writers' Children's Story Prize '
  • Women in Sports Collection 2020 '
  • IBBY Honour Book 2020 ''
  • Efua Sutherland Children's Book Prize 2020/Ghana Association of Writers' Children's Story Prize '
  • CABA Honour Book 2019 '
  • Ayi Kwei Armah Award 2019/Ghana Association of Writers Novel Prize '
  • Inspire Us Book Collection 2019: Honour Book
  • The Professor Kofi Awoonor Literary Prize 2018: Second runner-up '
  • Efua Sutherland Book Prize 2018/Ghana Association of Writers' Children's Story Prize '
  • Ayi Kwei Armah Award 2018/Ghana Association of Writers' Novel Prize Runner-up '
  • Burt Award for African Literature 2018 '
  • CODE Burt Award for Ghanaian Young Adult Literature 2018 '
  • CODE Burt Award for Young Adult Literature: All Star Edition 2017 '
  • Medical Excellence Award—Dentist category
  • 40 under 40 award: Authorship and creative writing
  • Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature
  • Ghana Writers’ Awards—Short Story Category
  • Burt Award for African Young Adults
  • Burt Award for African Literature
  • Burt Award for African Literature
  • Burt Award for African Literature
  • Burt Award for African Literature
  • Burt Award for African Literature
  • Burt Award for African Literature
  • Burt Award for African Literature