Finally, Legon Comes into its Own

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

The appointment of former United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Kofi (Atta) Annan as Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, would go down in history as, perhaps, the most significant decision on higher education made by the Kufuor Administration. About the only plaint that could be made against the decision has to do with why it took so unbearably long for the University of Ghana’s governing council to arrive at this most auspicious decision. By way of consolation, about all that can be said at this juncture is that old maxim of it being never too late to do the right thing.

We had the same feeling, recently, when a memorial statue in honor of former Prime Minister K. A. Busia was unveiled somewhere in the Brong-Ahafo Region. This habitual attitude of tardiness does Ghana great disservice. It is almost as if we have absolutely no sense of history as a people. I would, however, venture even further to suggest the erection of statues, and other mnemonic landmarks, in honor of both Drs. J. B. Danquah and K. A. Busia on the campus of the University of Ghana. Dr. Danquah, the putative Doyen of Gold Coast and Ghanaian Politics, especially deserves such monument because, practically speaking, Dr. Danquah is the founder of Ghana’s flagship academy. And for curious naysayers, verifiable evidence, galore, can be readily gleaned from the academic catalogue or bulletin of the University of Ghana, as well as from the proceedings of the erstwhile Gold Coast legislature that debated the imperative need for the establishment of a globally respectable tertiary institution that embodied the unique identity, academic and cultural imprimatur of the Ghanaian people. Danquah also zealously and sedulously followed both the curricular design and development of the University of Ghana, as has been readily attested by the likes of distinguished Ghanaian playwright Ms. Efua Sutherland and Prof. J. H. Nketia.

For his part, Dr. Busia was the first indigenous Ghanaian citizen to be named “Professor” (of sociology) at the University of Ghana. The Oxbridge-educated future Prime Minister of Ghana would also mentor Prof. Nketia, arguably the greatest director of Legon’s Institute of African Studies as well as foremost Musicologist on the African continent. Needless to say, Dr. Busia also pioneered sociological scholarship in our flagship academy. And it is for the foregoing reasons that not quite long ago, I suggested the establishment of endowed chairs for both Drs. Danquah and Busia. Back then, I also suggested the establishment of several endowed chairs in the names of Drs. Danquah and Busia in order to accurately reflect the polymathic dimensions of their geniuses. In the case of Dr. Danquah, for example, chairs could be established in the departments of philosophy, law, the performing arts, African Studies, mass communications and political science; while in the case of Dr. Busia, such chairs could be located in the departments of sociology, education and political science. Other endowed chairs could also be established in the names of such renowned and distinguished Ghanaian educators and scholars as Dr. Ephraim Amu, Professors Mawere Opoku, J. H. Nketia and, of course, Efua Sutherland, the indisputable Doyenne of modern Ghanaian theater, as well as J. C. deGraft, founding head of the former University of Ghana School of Music and Drama (now the School for the Performing Arts).

That it took three long years for the University of Ghana’s governing council to name Mr. Kofi Annan to the position of University Chancellor, in the wake of the 2005 passing of Nana Wereko Ampem II, is rather embarrassing, particularly when one realizes the fact that naming Ghana’s sole Nobel laureate to the post of Legon Chancellor did not entail the appropriation of hard-earned foreign exchange, as past governments had been wont to readily complain anytime that the imperative need for the implementation of any momentous idea or project was brought to the attention of public policymakers. And not that Mr. Annan really needed the post of Legon Chancellor to enhance his image in any way, not in the least bit. If anything at all, the man already has his globally renowned and respected Kofi Annan Peace Institute and more than enough on his professional plate to last him at least three lifetimes.

In other words, what the appointment of Mr. Kofi Annan as Chancellor of the University of Ghana does is to elevate Legon to the enviable status of a global academic force to reckon with, definitely on the African continent, at least. But, of course, whether the latter actually becomes a practical reality would very much depend on both the will and seriousness with which the Government envisages the development of Ghanaian tertiary education in general. On this score, our hope is that the hard-won Annan cache would redound both to the capital and human-resource benefit of Ghana’s flagship academy. Congrats, Uncle Kofi Atta!

*Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D., is Associate Professor of English, Journalism and Creative Writing at Nassau Community College of the State University of New York, Garden City. He is the author of 17 books, including “Dr. J. B. Danquah: Architect of Modern Ghana” (iUniverse.com, 2005) and “Obaasima: Ideal Woman” (iUniverse.com, 2005). E-mail: [email protected].