Let’s celebrate Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa (Obrempong Kyem-Amponsah II), the Vice-Chancellor of Ghana Communication Technology University

“Render to all men their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, and honour to whom honour is due.” (Romans 13:7)

From the above quotation, it is highly crucial for all and sundry to celebrate our leaders wholeheartedly and wholesomely.

The term, ‘to celebrate’ means to mark a happy or important day, an event with a social gathering where people can enjoy themselves’ (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 1995). In other words, investiture, induction, graduation, ordination, birthdays, marriage ceremonies/weddings are the real celebrations and not funeral rites.

“It is not scriptural or biblical to celebrate the dead, but it is biblically significant to celebrate our parents/guardians, grand-parents, our spiritual/religious, academic and political leaders as well as loved ones when they are alive, instead of waiting to see their demise” (Owusu Tabiri, 2018, Daily Graphic). This write-up aims at celebrating the first Vice-Chancellor of Ghana Communication Technology University, Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa as we witness his investiture on Saturday, December 18, 2021.

Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa was appointed by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana in October 2018 as the President of Ghana Technology University College.

Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa inherited huge financial difficulties as the university had to pay its workers through internally generated funds from 2018 to 2020. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic compounded the teething problems that Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa had to shoulder as the President of Ghana Technology University College. Through it all, he worked assiduously to see to it that the Ghana Technology University College transitioned from a partial private university to fully fledged public university known as Ghana Communication Technology University in August 2020. Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa seems to exemplify the saying that, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa is a Professor of Food Science and Technology and currently the Vice-Chancellor of the Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), Tesano-Accra and the Chief of Fiapre Traditional Area in the Bono Region of Ghana under the stool name Obrempong Professor Kyem-Amponsah II. He was formerly the Interim Vice- Chancellor of the Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), President of the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC), Tesano-Accra, Acting President of the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC), Tesano-Accra, and Head of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra (www.gctu.edu.gh).

Who would have thought that Ghana Telecom/Technology University College could become a fully-fledged public university in Ghana?

Who would have thought that Ghana Telecom/Technology University College, now called Ghana Communication Technology University could witness the investiture of its first VC as Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa?

Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, we celebrate you today for your selfless leadership and visible achievements as the first Vice-Chancellor of Ghana Communication Technology University, the only public university in Ghana that its name starts with Ghana. Even though you have not been able to satisfy all the Members of the University community, we cannot refute your diligence and contribution that led to the transition of Ghana Technology University College to Ghana Communication Technology University. Can any member of the University community refute this assertion?

As lecturers and researchers, we salute you and celebrate you for your distinguished and outstanding scholarship for having authored/co-authored 205 publications (including 103 peer- reviewed journal publications, 5 books, 4 book chapters, 2 encyclopaedia chapters and 91 conferences presentations with published abstracts) in Food Science and Technology.

Obrempong Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, a great scholar par excellence, we celebrate you for your visible achievements as we witness your investiture today as the very first Vice-Chancellor of Ghana Communication Technology University.

May the God of all grace, give you overflowing grace and bless you indeed to shoulder your responsibilities effectively and efficiently as the VC of GCTU, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Congratulations, Obrempong Professor Kyem-Amponsah II!

The writer is a lecturer and University Chaplain at the Ghana Communication Technology University

Email: [email protected]
PhD candidate at the University of Education, Winneba, Department of Applied Linguistics, Ghana.

PhD candidate (Sociolinguistics and Language Didactics) at the Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny de Cocody, Côte d’Ivoire.