NEWS RELEASE: Prof. Ernest Aryeetey Re-appointed to a Second..

The University of Ghana Council at its meeting held on 27th March 2014 approved a second term for the Vice Chancellor, Professor Ernest Aryeetey from August 1, 2014 to July 31, 2016 when he retires from the University. This followed the acceptance of the recommendation of a Review Panel that had assessed Professor Aryeetey’s performance as Vice Chancellor.

Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, whose first four-year term comes to an end on July 31, 2014, has led the University of Ghana as Vice-Chancellor since he was first appointed in August 2010. His seven point vision at the time he took office centred on promoting academic excellence through enhanced teaching and learning and leadership training; promoting academic excellence through significantly expanded and relevant research and extension; overhaul of governance arrangements in administration, teaching and research; better management of university assets and facilities; scale-up efforts towards equal opportunity in gender and diversity; enhanced fund-raising activities and enforced structures and processes for monitoring and evaluation.

Under his leadership, the University has seen significant changes in academic performance, governance, municipal service delivery and physical infrastructure. The University moved from the 54th position in the Webometrics ranking of African universities in 2009 to the 18th position in 2013. The University will soon move fully to a collegiate system of governance and this is expected to bring about greater flexibility in academic programmes and ensure financial sustainability for the four colleges, namely, College of Humanities, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Education and College of Health Sciences.

Research at the University of Ghana has become a lot more prominent under his leadership as he seeks to make the University a research university. The creation of four Centres of Excellence for Malaria Research, Food Production and Processing, Climate Change Adaptation and Development Policy and Poverty is expected to lift the University of Ghana further in this quest.

Other initiatives credited to him include the acquisition of major modern science equipment to enhance teaching and learning for the science units. He supported actively the grant application process which led to UG scientists winning US$16million of grants under the African Centres of Excellence project. Under his leadership, the University initiated its Readers Series, a collection of discipline specific essays. The University of Ghana Readers series is the single largest book publication initiative of an African University. He has also led the process of restructuring UG’s PhD programmes in order to bring them in line with best practices around the world and enhance the quality of its graduates.

Prof. Ernest Aryeetey is generally credited with being a visionary leader. He has been described as a “visionary Vice-Chancellor” by the Chairman of Council, Justice Professor S.K. Date-Bah. With this extension to his term, he is set to continue a productive term of office as Vice Chancellor of Ghana’s premier University.

We wish him a fruitful tenure.



Stella A. Amoa
Director of Public Affairs
March 28, 2014