The reconstituted Governing Council of the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) was officially inaugurated in Accra on August 14, 2025.
The 15-member Council is chaired by Prof. William Otoo Ellis, an illustrious Professor of Food Science, and former Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The membership of the Council also includes Prof. Frederick Kwaku Sarfo, Vice-Chancellor of AAMUSTED, together with four nominees of His Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama, selected in recognition of their academic qualifications, leadership acumen, gender, expertise in finance and management, specialised knowledge, and relevant professional experience in the University’s core mandate. They are Mrs. Joanna Appiah-Dwomoh, Madam Mary Agbeviade, Dr. Dr. Frank Yao Gbadago, and Professor Joseph Yensu.
Other members of the Council are Mr. Joseph Mensah Oti-Asirifi, representing the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC); Prof. Dr. Gilbert Owiah Sampson, elected representative of the University Convocation; Mr. Samuel Osei Sasu, representing the Association of Principals of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutes (APTVETI); and Mr. Anthony Syram Kwame Zu, representing the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET).
Prof. Yarhands Dissou Arthur represents the AAMUSTED branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG); Eng. Prof. Humphrey Danso, AAMUSTED Alumni Association; Dr. Samuel Sylvester Anim-Yeboah, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI); and Mr. David Akuette Otchere, represents students of the University.
Administering the oaths of office and secrecy, the Minister of Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, charged members of the Council to discharge their duties diligently, and justify the confidence reposed in them by the President. He emphasised that the President holds them in high regard for their academic and professional stature, and accordingly expects them not only to bring pride to the appointing authority but also to contribute to making AAMUSTED an outstanding institution of higher learning.
The Minister assured the Council of the government’s commitment to providing the necessary resources to support the University’s growth. He disclosed that the Italian government is to release a five-million-euro facility to Ghana for educational development, part of which will be allocated to AAMUSTED. Furthermore, he indicated that efforts are underway to secure funding from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for ten tertiary institutions in 2026, expressing optimism that AAMUSTED would be among the beneficiaries. He noted that similar support had already been extended to ten institutions in 2025.
In his response, Professor Ellis expressed profound gratitude to President Mahama for entrusting them with the unique responsibility of steering the University’s strategic direction. He pledged, on behalf of the Council, to work tirelessly to reposition AAMUSTED for excellence, assuring the government that the Council’s achievements would speak for itself in due course.
“I and the members of the Council will rewrite the story of AAMUSTED; the next time you hear about us, the story will be special and you will be proud of us,” he emphasised.
The inauguration ceremony also witnessed the swearing-in of the Governing Councils of six other institutions, namely: Kumasi Technical University (KsTU), Cape Coast Technical University (CCTU), Ho Technical University (HTU), Takoradi Technical University (TTU), the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UNIMAC), and the Complementary Education Agency (CEA).
