The Governing Council of the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) has appointed Prof. Isaac Boateng, the Acting Director of the Institute of Teacher Professional Development and Lifelong Learning, as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University for a three-year term. The appointment took effect from December 12, 2023, and would end on December 11, 2026.
The appointing letter, dated December 12, 2023, and signed by the Vice-Chancellor of AAMUSTED, Prof. Frederick Kwaku Sarfo, spelled out the responsibilities of the Pro Vice-Chancellor.
Among the responsibilities, Prof. Boateng, as Pro Vice-Chancellor, would be directly responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for the effective conduct of the academic matters of the University. He would also acquire and administer academic programmes and related activities and manage the academic resources of the University.
Ahead of the eventual appointment, Prof. Boateng had to navigate an election phase in the selection process. Prof. Sarfo, acting on the decision of the University Governing Council to appoint a substantive Pro Vice-Chancellor per the AAMUSTED Act, 2020 (Act 1026), nominated two (2) Professors and an Associate Professor of the University to vie for the vacant Pro Vice-Chancellor position.
He emerged as the winner in the November 3, 2023 elections, ahead of Prof. Humphrey Danso, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Technical Education (FTE), and Prof. (Mrs.) Margaret Esi Essilfie, Head of Crop and Soil Sciences Education of the University.
When the 305 eligible voters cast their ballots, Prof. Boateng amassed 144 votes, representing 47.21 percent of valid votes to carry the day. Prof. Danso and Prof. (Mrs.) Essilfie followed in the second and third positions with 126 (41.31%) and 35 (11.4 %) of the valid votes, respectively.
In a victory message, Prof. Boateng was grateful to all convocation members of the University for voting for him to become the Pro Vice-Chancellor elect. To his contenders, he conceded that “the contest was keen but friendly” and commended them for their dedication to the service of AAMUSTED.
“This victory is for all,” he assured them and reiterated his campaign pledge to work with all staff to support the Vice-Chancellor to achieve the unique mandate of the University.
For their part, Prof. Danso and Associate Prof. (Mrs.) Essilfie conceded defeat graciously. They congratulated Prof. Boateng on his victory and assured him of their support towards becoming a successful Pro Vice-Chancellor.
Prof. Isaac Boateng is a keen individual with interdisciplinary knowledge. He has over 20 years of professional experience in research, teaching, and learning in higher education. He has been a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy since 2009.
His research leadership and higher education management expertise span Ghana, Denmark, and the UK. His research and consultancy interests are in general education, coastal engineering, climate change, coastal and river adaptation to climate change, coastal and marine resource management, shoreline management planning, environmental management, and applied coastal and fluvial geomorphology. He is also an expert in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and modeling Climate Change.
Prof. Boateng was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth (a leading university in the UK) for over 11 years before joining the Kumasi Campus of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), now converted to AAMUSTED in 2018. He served as the Dean of the Faculty of Business Education (FBE) from 2019 to 2022 and the Acting Director of the Institute of Teacher Professional Development and Life-long Learning, a position he held until his elevation to the high office of Pro Vice-Chancellor.
Prof. Boateng is an astute international scholar with high-level leadership experience on a global scale. He has several academic publications with over 730 citations and still counting.