The University of Cape Coast (UCC) on Friday conferred its maiden Distinguished Fellow Award on the Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, in recognition of her trailblazing service to the development and growth of the university and the nation.
The colourful ceremony, marked by glowing tributes to the Vice-President for her immense contributions to higher education, gender equality and national development, also saw her symbolically robed for the conferment of the honour.
Having shattered the glass ceiling as the first female Vice-Chancellor of a public university in Ghana, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang has moved on from academia to become the first female Vice-President of Ghana in yet another ground-breaking personal feat.
During her academic career at UCC, she became the first female Dean of the Faculty of Arts, the first female Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and later the first female Vice-Chancellor of the university, making her the first woman to head a public university in Ghana.
When the institution decided to honour her remarkable path of academic success, resilience and positive ambition, it assembled politicians and the clergy, traditional rulers and entrepreneurs, students and lecturers, among others, to celebrate a personality who represents the pride of womanhood.
The dignitaries who graced the occasion included the Chancellor of UCC, Sir Dr Sam Jonah; the Chairman of the UCC Governing Council, Justice William Atuguba, a retired justice of the Supreme Court; the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama; the Inspector-General of Police, and Christian Tetteh Yohuno.
Traditional leaders present included the President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Odeefuo Amoakwa Boadu; the Omanhen of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II; and the Omanhen of the Komenda Traditional Area, Nana Oketakye Komeh VIII.
Also present were former vice-chancellors and vice-chancellors of other universities, senior security personnel, the clergy, academics, traditional authorities, and the staff and students of the university.
Trailblazer
In his address, Sir Sam described Prof. Opoku-Agyemang as a trailblazer, a true patriot and a woman of integrity.
“In these times when trust in public institutions is tested, when cynicism threatens to become the default posture of citizens toward their leaders, her example shines as a beacon,” he said, adding that the Vice-President reminded all that principled leadership was not a relic of a nobler age but one that was possible and practised today.
Such virtues, Dr Jonah stressed, were utterly vital for Ghana’s progress, unity and future.
“At this very university, she became the first female Vice-Chancellor in the history of UCC — and, I am proud to note, the first female Vice-Chancellor of any public university in the entire history of Ghana,” the Chancellor said.
He said in a nation and a system that had for decades reserved the highest offices of academic leadership for men alone, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang broke through not through confrontation, but through undeniable excellence, commending her for her determination and strength of character.
“The nation took notice.
She went on to become Ghana’s first female Vice-President, the highest position ever held by a woman in the constitutional history of our Republic.
These are not footnotes to her biography.
They are chapters that have rewritten the possibilities for every Ghanaian woman and girl who dares to dream,” Sir Sam added.
Dr Jonah urged the youth and students to emulate Prof. Opoku-Agyemang and rise to enviable heights.
“I want you to look carefully at the woman we honour today.
She sat in classrooms not unlike the ones you sit in now.
She walked the same grounds you walk.
She faced the same doubts, the same pressures, the same temptation to underestimate herself that every student faces.
And she chose, again and again, the harder path, the path of diligence, of courage, of service,” the Chancellor said.
Family
In her acceptance remarks, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang acknowledged family, friends and colleagues who in diverse ways helped her to achieve the successes in her life and career.
She said education must turn individuals to commit to serving humanity’s well-being.
The Vice-President thanked the university for the honour and for the values that it instilled in her, saying many of the values that shaped her adult life were those acquired from her days as a student and work life at the university.
She said higher education was a privilege and that all must ensure that the knowledge acquired benefited society.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stressed that higher education must go beyond theoretical knowledge and impact the nation.
“We must examine established systems, ideas and institutions and work to improve them for the well-being of society,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stated, urging all, irrespective of background, to learn to find out and pass on; to guide, counsel, and uplift others, and in so doing, hold the future in trust for those who follow.
Commendation
The acting Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Denis Aheto, commended the Vice-President for the many infrastructural achievements during her tenure as Vice-Chancellor, the human capacity development and international visibility she brought to the university, which he said had positioned UCC for national and international laurels.
He said with the many firsts chalked up by Vice-President Opoku-Agyemang, it was not surprising that her excellent perseverance and the limitless possibilities of leadership, grounded in scholarship and public service, continued to motivate many across Ghana and the world.
Prof. Aheto said the honour bestowed on the Vice-President was to celebrate excellence, leadership and service to the nation and humanity.
Fact sheet
Source:
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