Profile of ‘Prof Nana Aba Appiah Amfo’ first female University of Ghana Vice-Chancellor

As the first female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana (UG), Nana Aba Appiah Amfo PhD, FGA, is a Professor of Linguistics and an experienced university administrator, with over 22 years of experience in the higher education sector.

Professor Amfo has built her experience in governance through attendance at formal management and leadership programs as well as on-the-job training.

She brings a lot of innovation and resourcefulness to her leadership positions and is adept at change management. As Vice-Chancellor, she’s leading her university to uptake technology in all its operations, while keeping people as the focus. As part of the execution of her vision, she launched a seven-million-dollar digitalization program to enhance the experience of the University’s students, faculty and staff.

Professor Amfo previously served as the Pro Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for Academic and Student Affairs, the Dean of the School of Languages, and the Head of the Department of Linguistics, of the same university.

Her Masters and PhD degrees, both in linguistics, are from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and her Bachelors in French and Linguistics is from the University of Ghana. 

She has a post-graduate certificate in Administration and Management from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and has received additional training in higher education management and leadership from Harvard Business School, University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and INSEAD, France.

She is a member of many prestigious societies and organizations such as the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Commonwealth Professionals Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, German Academic Exchange Services, and the International Women’s Fellowship Leadership Program.

She is a pioneer fellow of the African Humanities Program (AHP) of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). She currently serves as the inaugural President of the African Humanities Association, an offshoot of the AHP.  

Her national and international board membership include the following: Consultation Board Member of the International Pragmatics Association; President of the Fédération Internationale des Langues et Littératures Modernes; Administrative Board Member of the International Association of Universities; Steering Committee Member of the Tallories Network of Engaged Universities, Chairperson of the Interim Executive Committee of the African Pragmatics Association and Governing Council Member of the Sustainable Development Solution Network. She is the Vice-Chairman of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA).

Prof. Amfo is also an Administrative Board member of the International Association of Universities (IAU) and a Partnership Board member of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN).

She is also a member of the UNA Europa External Advisory Board and has recently been appointed as a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities Governing Council .

In 2021, Professor Amfo was awarded the GUBA (Grow Unite Build Africa) Nana Yaa Asantewaa Woman of Enlightenment for her resilience and work in academia, which has created knowledge, built confidence, and broken-down barriers to opportunities.

In July 2023, she was recognised by Glitz Africa as the Ghana Woman of the Year for Excellence in Education. Her recognition by the Head of State Awards Scheme in December 2023 further acknowledges her excellence in education, leadership, and gender empowerment.