The President and Vice Chancellor of Central University, Professor Kwesi Yankah was on Thursday July 7 honored for his exceptional and continuous administration and academic contribution to education.

The award was presented to him by H.E. Gerhard Brügger, Ambassador of Switzerland at the Ghana Impact Africa Summit held in Accra.

Professor Yankah was crowned with the Education Laureate Award for also being instrumental in contributing to national and intellectual discourses on education geared towards the growth and development of the country through his numerous articles and addresses on topical issues on education. In his acceptance speech, Prof Yankah expressed his concern about the social disparity and inequities in education as well as access to quality education in Ghana.

This,he indicated is the reality on the ground in some regions as there are still primary schools without shelter and desks and schools with pupils having to travel over 3km across dangerous bridges to get access education. He further mentioned that there is a visible correlation between education and socio economic development, stating that the four poorest regions in Ghana; Upper East, Upper West, Northern and Central incidentally happens to be the four least literate regions; although illiteracy rate has improved from 36% at the time of independence to 75% as of now.

Professor Yankah called for interventions from civil society, development partners, corporate Ghana and individuals for needy but brilliant students after narrating the ordeal of one Dauda, a brilliant young man who would have ended up on the streets but for his intervention. Dauda is currently a student of the University of Ghana Business School. Professor Yankah dedicated the award to all the primary schools he survived including Duakwa Primary School, Akyem Akyeasi Primary School and Kwabena Nkrumah Middle School as well his alma mater Winneba Secondary School which he described as the best senior high school in Ghana.

The maiden edition of the Impact Africa Summit held at the Tang Palace Hotel attracted key members of the diplomatic corps, academia, government officials, civil society, and top local and international business executives among others. Other personalities awarded at the summit included former president J A Kufuor for Leadership & Governance, Professor E.Y. Kwawukume for Health and Farida Bedwei as the African Rising Star. The rest are Ken Ashigbey for Media & Communication and Togbe Afede, for Business & Entrepreneurship.

– See more at: http://citifmonline.com/2016/07/19/prof-yankah-honoured-as-education-laureate/#sthash.my2zM1la.dpuf

The 54^th Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences Founders Week celebrations successfully took place as scheduled from the 18^th of November to the 22^nd of November, 2013 on the theme Education for National Development.

It started with all exuberance with Monday 18^th having the induction of twelve (12) newly inducted fellows comprising ten (10) Resident Fellows and two (2) Honorary Fellows  of which eight (8)were present. They were Rev Canon Prof Emeritus John Samuel Pobee; Prof Dr Dr Daniel Buor; prof Wisdom Tettey; Prof Yaw Serfor Armah; Prof Henry Nii Adjiri Wellington; Prof Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah; Prof Benjamin Jabez Botwe Nyarko; Dr Rose Mamaa Entsua-Mensah.

The two Honorary Fellows Prof Volker ter Meulen and Prof Lorna Casselton and Busumuru Kofi Annan and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson were absent since they were all out of the country as at the date of the induction.

The President of the Academy Prof Francis Kofi Ampanyin Allotey assisted by the Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and Vice Presidents for Arts and Sciences took the newly elected fellows through the declaration and swearing in. they were then decorated with the Academy’s broche.

The auditorium was full to capacity as other Fellows, family members, general public, schools and the media thronged to experience and hail the nominees.

The day continued with the Presidential address by the President of the Academy Professor F. K. A. Allotey on the topic “Education in the Age of Rapid Technological Advancement”.

Day two had a symposium which was chaired by Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr on Basic Education in a Changing World with delivery on topics such as “An Assessment of the content and Quality of Basic Education in Ghana”; “Rethinking the role of Stakeholders in Ghana’s  Basic Education” by Doctors Leslie Casely-Hayford, Associates for Change, Accra and Christine Amoako-Nuamah, former Hon Minister of Environment, Science and Technology.

Wednesday November, 20^th was no exception when another symposium on the topic Secondary technical Education and skills Training: Bridging the Middle Level Gaps chaired by Professor Aba Bentil Andam was expecting a delivery from three speakers. The various topics which were to be divulged were Reviewing Secondary, Technical Education and Skills Training in Ghana”; “Skills diversification to meet Current and Emerging labour Market Opportunities” and “Sowing the Seeds of Entrepreneurship in Secondary and Technical Education”.

Two of the speakers Doctor George Afeti, Executive Secretary, National Inspectorate Board, Ministry of Education, Accra; Professor G.K.S. Aflakpui, FGA, Rector, Wa Polytechnic, Upper West Region (who was indisposed had his write up delivered on his behalf) delivered their addresses on the 1^st and 2^nd topics respectfully.  The 3^rd speaker Doctor Michael Agyekum Addo, Chief Executive, Kama group of Companies who was to take the third delivery was absent due to circumstances beyond his control.

All the same we had a real exposition on the theme and members present put in their views through questions and contributions to make it a lively occasion.

The symposium: the third and final in the series of the celebration chaired by Professor S.K.A. Danso, FGA, presented all three speakers battling round the bigger picture of “Optimising Tertiary Education to meet Current and Emerging Opportunities”. It talked other sub topics: the first a delivery by Prof Helen Lauer, Department of Philosophy and Classics, University of Ghana on “Higher Education beyond the Labour Market”. The command over the subject exposed listeners to a very good content.

The second speaker Dr Patrick Awuah, President, Ashesi University College, Brekuso, Eastern Region, performed no less as he tried to battle the problems identified in the mix of public and private tertiary institutions. He was all out on his delivery on the topic “Widening Access to Tertiary Education: the mix of Public and Private Participation”.

Finally the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, FGA addressed the topic “Addressing the funding Challenges in Ghana’s Tertiary Education Sector”. His experience as a Vice Chancellor propelled a good delivery where he could cite very practical examples in problems and solutions to the topic.

The five day celebration was crowned on the last day with the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lecture on the Topic “Science, Technology and Innovation for National Development”. The delivery was made by Professor Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere, FGA, Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon. The day had Professor F.K.A. Allotey, FGA, and President of the Academy in the chair.

All speeches delivered during the 54^th Founders Week Celebrations are being compiled for its publication soon.

The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) will on Monday 18 November 2013 induct 12 new Fellows to bring its membership to a total of 128 Fellows and 9 Honorary Fellows respectively.

The short ceremony precedes this year’s Founder’s Week Lectures on the theme ‘Education for National Development’. The Presidential Address to be delivered by Prof. Francis K.A. Allotey, FGA is entitled ‘Education in the Age of Rapid Technological Advancement’. This will be followed by three days of symposia on the subthemes: ‘Basic Education in a Changing World’; ‘Secondary, Technical Education and Skills Training -Bridging Middle Level Gaps’ and ‘Optimising Emerging Opportunities’. The Week long Lectures will be capped on Day 5 with the Kwame Nkrumah Lecture to be delivered by Prof. Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere, FGA and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana on the theme ‘Science, Technology and Innovation for National Development’. Other speakers at the weeklong lectures will include Dr. Leslie Casely-Hayford, Associates for Change; Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuamah, Former Minister of Environment, Science and Technology; Dr. George Afeti, Executive Secretary, National Inspectorate Board of the Ministry of Education; Dr. Michael Agyekum-Addo, Chief Executive, KAMA Group of Companies; Dr. Patrick Awuah, President, Ashesi University College and Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, FGA and Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana.

As the nation’s premier learned society, the Ghana Academy has as its mandate, the creation, acquisition, dissemination and utilisation of knowledge for national development through the promotion of learning.

The Academy recognises outstanding contributions to the advancement of the Arts and Sciences in Ghana, by, among other things, electing into Fellowship any citizen of Ghana or any person resident in Ghana, who in the opinion of the Council of the Academy and the General Meeting of Fellows, has made a significant contribution to any branch of the Arts or Sciences. The Legal Instruments establishing the Academy also empowers the Academy to confer Honorary Fellowship on any person of eminence in the arts or sciences, other than a citizen of Ghana, who has contributed significantly to the extension of the arts or sciences.

ARTS FELLOWS

SCIENCES FELLOWS

H. E. President John Dramani Mahama payed a courtesy call on the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences on Tuesday 17^th December, 2013, during which period he held talks with the Academy’s Council and inspected progress of work on a 12Million Ghana-Cedi Auditorium and Office Complex Project. This was the third visit of President John Dramani Mahama since 2009 when he officially launched the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Academy, then as Vice President.

Prof. Francis K. A. Allotey, President of the Academy expressed the Academy Council’s delight at the President taking time off his busy schedule to visit the Academy, when the request had been the Academy’s to pay a courtesy call on him at the Presidency. Prof. Allotey said the Academy was keen to put the expertise of Fellows of the Academy at the disposal of government.

Other Council Members said it was imperative for the Presidency to systematize channels of communication between the Presidency and the Academy. This could be achieved through:

1. Assurance of the Presidency of its preparedness for input from the Academy;
2. Collaboration of GAAS and the Presidency to inspire scholarship and excellence;
3. The establishment of an endowment fund to allow the Academy to build greater financial independence with which to execute its mandate.

President Mahama gave an undertaking to be present at the opening of the 2014 Founder’s Week Celebrations which the Presidency is going to fund together with the Academy’s Annual Dinner and Awards Night henceforth.

Council Members expressed concern that knowledge being readily offered to Government from all quarters may be sponsored by vested interests and that Government needed its own bonafide, objective platform such as the Academy to serve as a ‘sieve’ of information and knowledge offered to the Presidency and Government.

President Mahama said he was delighted at the call by the Academy to be recognized and deployed by Government and that he on his part was going to lend the full weight of the Presidency to highlight the important work the Academy is doing and to give it greater public visibility.

He said a major issue he would want the Academy look into promptly for him was ‘How to diversify the nation’s economy and get the manufacturing sector for instance, to respond to stimulus from Government’.

The President concluded his visit with a tour of the GAAS Building Project Site, which according to the Project Architect and Honorary Secretary of the Academy, Prof. Ralph Mills-Tettey, is 75% complete. The President assured the contractor and the Academy of Government’s commitment to see through the completion of the project within the stipulated time.

Council Members of the Academy at the meeting with the President comprised: Prof. F.K.A. Allotey, President; Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr, Vice President (Arts); Prof. Elizabeth Ardayfio-Schandorf, Honorary Treasurer; prof. Ralph Mills-Tettey, Honorary Secretary; Prof. Takyiwaa Manuh, Assistant Honorary Secretary (Arts); Prof. Jacob Songsore, Member; Prof. Kofi Anyidoho, Member; Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa, Member and Prof. Reginald Fraser Amonoo, Immediate Past President.