-As First-Ever Female Vice-Chancellor Gets Nod
After intense scheming to prevent her from becoming the first-ever Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Ghana-Legon, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo has been nominated as the Acting VC of the country’s premier university.
A notice issued by the Mercy Haizel-Ashia, the school’s Registrar today July 26, 2021, confirmed that the newly constituted 20-member University Council gave Prof. Amfo the green light, scuttling the underhand scheming to prevent her from succeeding the outgoing VC, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu.
Prof. Amfo who is the highest-ranking of the two pro-VCs of the school was okayed to act “ as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana with effect from 1st August 2021, until such time that the University Council appoints a substantive Vice-Chancellor,” states the Registrar.
However, Whatsup News has gathered that it is inevitable that she will be confirmed as the substantive VC.
The succession process for a new VC for Ghana’s most prestigious university hit bottlenecks when the outgoing Prof. Oduro Owusu reportedly attempted to scuttle the nomination of Prof. Amfo as his replacement.
Prof. Owusu had reneged on the announcement of his successor even though a selection process has been completed.
For the outgoing VC, he is said to be apprehensive that if the post goes to someone who is not his favourite, his successor will dig into his stewardship and give him a nightmarish retirement.
Among others, Prof. Oduro Owusu’s handling of the controversial project to build a new Hall Complex for Commonwealth Hall is seen to be steeped in possible corruption.
It has been reported that his relationship with teacher groups, including the Legon Chapter of UTAG, has been chaotic as well.
Meanwhile, there were speculations that the Akufo Addo administration is also not particularly keen on having the 49-year-old as the school’s new VC and had attempted to arm-twist the governing council of the school to reject Prof. Amfo.
A committee set to oversee the appointment had interviewed and vetted six applicants, but Prof Amfo reportedly came up tops and the most qualified.
Per the statutes of the University, she is supposed to be announced as the incoming V-C by a University Council which was inaugurated today as well. The Council is headed by former Chief Justice Sophia Boafoa Akuffo.
Other applicants for the position who didn’t make it are Prof Felix Ankomah Asante, Prof Peter Quartey, Prof Godfred Alufar Bokpin, Prof Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe and Prof Daniel Frimpong Ofori.