GAAS News Updates

Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, a Fellow of the Academy on Friday 18th of November 2022 called for a review of the Free Senior High School programme, saying the current financing regime is not sustainable. He was delivering the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lecture on the topic “Educational Reforms in Ghana and their Impact on the Youth.

The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences on Friday, 18th of November 2022 commemorated some Fellows who have distinguished themselves and contributed to the development of the Academy. The Chairman of the Commemoration Committee, Prof. Henry Nii-Adziri Wellington, in his speech, said there are 2 categories of Fellows to be commemorated. They are the living and deceased Fellows.

The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, on Tuesday 15th November 2022 inducted into Fellowship fifteen distinguished Ghanaian personalities comprising Prof. Samuel Agyei-Mensah, Professor of Geography; Ace Anan Ankomah, a Lawyer; Prof. Kwasi Ampene, Professor of Ethnomusicology and Maxwell Opoku-Afari, First Deputy Governor, Bank of Ghana from the Arts Section; and Prof. Her Graves Winful, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Prof. Evans Adei, Associate Professor specializing in Computational Chemistry; Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, Professor of Microbiology; Prof. Richmond Nii Okai Aryeetey, Associate Professor specializing in Public Health Nutrition; Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann; Associate Professor specializing in Biomedical Engineering, Prof. Amos Kankponang Laar, Associate Professor specializing in Bioethics and Public Health Nutrition, Prof. Marian Asantewaa Nkansah, Associate Professor specializing in Environmental Chemistry, Prof. Jehoram Tei Anim, Professor of Histopathology; Prof. Bruce Banoeng-Yakubo, Professor of Geology; Prof. Sarah Darkwa, Professor of Food Science; and Prof. Dorcas Osei-Safo, Associate Professor specializing in Natural Products Chemistry, from the Sciences Section.   

The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences on Friday, 4th of November 2022 organised the Shine Mentorship Program for some selected public basic schools in its catchment area. The participating schools were Pig-farm JHS and Abavanna 4 & 5 JHS. The program was held at the GAAS auditorium in Accra.

Dr.  Nii Darku Quaynor, FGA on Thursday 06 of October 2022 has said Ghana has enormous traditional technologies and tools, which when developed into modern educational and computational tools will be critical for national development. He said whiles delivering his annual lecture on the theme “The Science of Oware Board” at the Academy’s auditorium.

“Language has some intrinsic power to make and unmake. Not only for our sake but also the sake of posterity, for our survival and well-being let us choose the positive side, communicative politeness and throw away or condemn communicative impoliteness”. – Prof. Kofi Agyekum

On Thursday, 01 September 2022, Fellow of the Academy and Professor of Linguistics at the University of Ghana, Prof. Kofi Agyekum delivered what one will describe as a timely lecture to address the impolite languages in our media and political landscape. The topic for the lecture was “Kasahuam-Kasafi”: Polite and Impolite Language in the Ghanaian Media and Political Landscape.

Professor Aaron Lante, FGA, a Professor of Anatomy at the University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS), has called for the establishment of academic medical centres (AMCs) in all medical training institutions to help deepen medical training, research, and service delivery in the country. He indicated that AMCs were assets that provided an environment for evolution in medical education, research, and service delivery.

Day two of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) 2022 Public Forum continued with a focus on Political and Legal Environments for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Various speakers at the forum which is organized annually by the GAAS and sponsored UMB, a leading indigenous Ghanaian bank, opined that Human Rights Impact Assessments are a critical tool for the advancement of people-centered and human rights-based development, including through trade agreements. This is critical in ensuring that the rights of people whose needs may otherwise be overlooked or poorly addressed are protected in trade negotiations so everyone can benefit equitably from trade.

The first day of the prestigious Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) 2022 Public Forum began with concord that the African Continental Trade Agreement presents the most exciting path for Ghanaian and African development in a generation. The deliberations however noted the need for countries and public sector players to be aware of the challenges that will arise from this opportunity.

The Most Rev. Prof. Peter Sarpong has said the performing arts are relevant to national development. He made this statement while delivering the Ephraim Amu Memorial Lecture organised by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in Accra on the topic “The Performing Arts, Morality and the Ghanaian Identity”. The event happened on Thursday, May 19th, 2022.

Ms. Laura Royer, Policy Officer at the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, Brussels paid a courtesy call on the Acting President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) Emerita Professor Isabella Akyinbah Quakyi on Wednesday 18 May 2022. In attendance at the meeting were Mr. Francis Prince Ankrah, Deputy Executive Secretary and Mr. Clifford Tetteh, Communications Officer.