UG First Female Vice-Chancellor (Acting) Prof Nana A.A. Amfo Appointed

The University of Ghana has appointed Prof Nana Aba Appiah Amfo as First Female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana (Acting) effective 1st August 2021.

UG First Female Vice-Chancellor Decision

The decision was reached by the newly constituted University of Ghana Council.

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“In a short meeting after the inauguration of the new Council, the Council considered Section 10(2)(b) of the University of Ghana, Act, 2010 (Act 806) and Section 6 (3) of the University of Ghana Statutes and decided on the appointment of the senior of two Pro Vice-Chancellor to act.

Before here appointment, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academics and Students Affairs at the University of Ghana.

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Her appointment to the earlier position took effect on, November 1, 2019.

Profile of UG First Female Vice-Chancellor: Prof Nana Aba Appiah Amfo

Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo was born in Kumasi. Following her nursery education at the
then University Primary School (now KNUST Basic School), she continued her basic education
at Services Primary School (Takoradi) and Goldfields Schools Complex (Tarkwa). She had her
secondary education at Holy Child School (O’ Level, 1988) and Archbishop Porter Girls’
Secondary School (A’ Level, 1990).

She proceeded to the University of Ghana, from 1991 to
1996, for a Bachelor’s degree in French and Linguistics. Both her MPhil (2001) and PhD (2007)
degrees in Linguistics are from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in
Trondheim, Norway, where she studied with sponsorship from the Norwegian government under
the then Quota Programme. Professor Amfo has received additional training in higher education
management and leadership from Harvard Business School, University of Applied Sciences,
Germany, and INSEAD, France.

Professor Amfo’s career in academia started in 2001 as a Lecturer in the Department of
Linguistics after her Master’s degree. In 2007, the same year she obtained her PhD degree, she
was promoted Senior Lecturer. Her promotion to Associate Professor was in 2011, and Professor
in 2017. Professor Amfo’s research interests are in the linguistic sub-discipline of Pragmatics,
which allows her to explore the role that context plays in our conversational interactions and how
that influences communication in different domains.

The new UG First Female Vice-Chancellor undertook research resulting in several publications in nationally and internationally reputable journals such as Acta Linguistica Hafnensia, Current Issues in Language Planning, Discourse and Society, Ghana Journal of Linguistics, Journal of Pragmatics, Journal of West African Languages, Legon Journal of the
Humanities, Lingua, Linguistics, Nordic Journal of African Studies, Nordic Journal of
Linguistics, Pragmatics, and Studies in African Linguistics, have covered the role of function
words in communication, information structure, grammaticalisation, language use in specific
domains such as health, gendered contexts, politics, religion and migratory contexts. Her (edited)
books and book chapters have been published by Ayebia Clarke Publishing Company, John
Benjamins Publishing Company, Novus Press, Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) and SubSaharan Publishers. Her recently (2018) co-authored textbook on Therapeutic Communication
Competencies for Nurses and Midwives, commissioned by the Nursing and Midwifery Council,
is published by DigiBooks.

Professor Amfo, the UG First Female Vice-Chancellor has acquired extensive multi-cultural experience through various professionalengagements in twenty countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and Australia.

These
engagements include giving competitive and invited talks, serving as external assessor and
engaging with research and professional collaborators. She has been an external examiner for a
number of Universities including University of Nairobi, Kenya; University of the Western Cape,
South Africa; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway; Stockholm
University, Sweden and University of Education, Winneba.

Professor Amfo is currently Dean of the School of Languages at the University of Ghana. She
previously served as the Head of the Department of Linguistics (2013 – 2014). She has
participated in the governance of the University of Ghana through her service on several
statutory and adhoc boards and committees. These include her current membership of the
Business and Executive

Committee, and University and College of Humanities Academic
Boards. She has served on the Boards of the School of Graduate Studies (2012 – 2016) and Office of Research Innovation and Development (ORID [2014 – 2018]).

She previously served as the Chair of the Management
Board of the University Basic School (2011 – 2016), the College of Humanities Senior and
Junior Staff Appointments and Promotions Committee (2014 – 2018) and the Mentoring and
Professional Development Sub-committee of the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy
(CEGENSA), University of Ghana (2010 – 2013). She was the University of Ghana’s
representative on the Catholic University College Appointments and Promotions Committee
(2011 – 2016). She currently chairs the School of Languages Management Committee and is a
member of the College of Humanities Advisory Board. Professor Amfo is a life member of the
University of Ghana Alumni Association and a member of its Council. She also serves as a Tutor
of Mensah Sarbah Hall.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities on Legon campus and at the Accra City Campus,
Professor Amfo has (co)supervised four undergraduate students, eighteen Master’s students and
five PhD students for their long essays and theses. She is currently supervising one PhD student
and co-supervising two others. Her passion for mentoring particularly younger professional
women has driven her to organise and or facilitate several capacity building training programmes
in both the public and private higher education sectors, as well as in other public and private
organisations. She has been a consultant trainer for the Nursing and Midwifery Council of
Ghana. Professor Amfo is currently an Advisory Board member of the Coalition of People
Against Sexual and Gender Based Violence and Harmful Practices (CoPASH) – A UNFPA
supported programme.

Professor Amfo is a member of several professional associations including the Society of
Communication, Medicine and Ethics, International Pragmatics Association (where she serves
on its Consultation Board; the first African to serve in this capacity since the Association’s
establishment in 1986), West African Linguistics Society and Linguistics Association of Ghana
(where she served as President from 2010 – 2014). She is a pioneer fellow, senior scholar and
Chair of the Steering Committee of the African Humanities Program of the American Council of
Learned Societies. She is also a fellow of the German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD),
Commonwealth Professionals Fellowship and the prestigious International Women’s Forum
Leadership Program. Professor Amfo has recently been awarded a Georg Foster Research
Fellowship for Experienced Researchers from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Professor Amfo is a Christian who worships at Praise Community Church, Adenta. She is
married to Frank Amfo and the couple have been blessed with three lovely children – Yoofi,
Maame Araba and Efua Benyiwa

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