Meet the founder & first director of IPS now UPSA, Nana Opoku-Ampomah I

Nana Opoku-Ampomah I, the Paramount Chief of Amoafo-Bekwai in the Ashanti Region known in private life as Mr. Joseph Opoku-Ampomah, was the founder and the first director of the then Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) now the University of Professional Studies (UPSA), Accra.

The seasoned educationist and the venerable Paramount Chief was born on 28th August 1928.

He begun his education at the Bekwai Methodist Mission School.

His quest for learning led him to the London Pitman Shorthand Institute (Kumasi), where he obtained his Elementary Certificate on 17th August 1950.

He continued his education at the University of London (Kumasi) where he obtained his General Certificate of Education in 1961.

He further obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Administration from the University of Ghana, after which he secured employment with the Daily Graphic on 23rd November, 1966 with the Editorial department as a Journalist.

The IPS, now UPSA, has played a pivotal role in shaping and training some of Ghana's most accomplished professionals, including several Police officers, some Commissioners, and the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare.



Mr. Joseph Opoku-Ampomah, your legacy lives on in the halls of learning. We celebrate you, not only for what you have accomplished, but for the path you have paved for generations to come.



The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) formerly known as Institute of Professional Studies (IPS), is a public university in Ghana. The main campus is located in Accra.



UPSA is the first university in Ghana to provide both academic and business professional education.

The University of Professional Studies Act, 2012 (Act 850) changed the name of the Institute of Professional Studies to University of Professional Studies, Accra.

UPSA is nationally and internationally accredited by the National Accreditation Board (Ghana) and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) respectively.

The university was founded in 1965 as a private professional business education tuition provider and was taken over by government in 1978 by the Institute of Professional Studies Decree, 1978 (SMCD 200).

It was subsequently established as a tertiary institution with a mandate to provide tertiary and professional education in Accountancy, Management and other related areas of study by the Institute of Professional Studies Act, (Act 566), 1999.