The Unconventional Path to Academia: A Toilet Attendant's Inaugural Lecture as a Professor-Part 1

Academia is full of stories of unconventional journeys and inspiring achievements of many.
One of such distinguished personalities who defied societal expectations and surpassed all obstacles to emerge as a distinguished personality in academia is Prof Bernard Kumi Boateng, who, despite beginning his life as a toilet attendant will be giving his inaugural lecture as a full professor at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa on 15th June 2023.

This article delves into his remarkable academic journey, exploring the challenges he faced, and his achievements so far.

PROFILE OF PROF BERNARD KUMI-BOATENG
Prof Bernard Kumi-Boateng is the Dean of Planning and Quality Assurance and a member of the University Appointments and Promotions Committee at the University of Mines and Technology UMaT), Tarkwa, Ghana.

He holds a BSc degree in Geomatic Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. He has double Master of Science degrees: MSc in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation from the International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), The Netherlands; and MSc in Environmental Systems and Analysis from KNUST.



In a record time of two years, he successfully completed his PhD studies at UMaT and obtained a PhD degree in Geomatic Engineering. He recently graduated from Pentecost University with a Certificate in Theology and Pastoral Studies.

Prof Kumi-Boateng is the first UMaT trained Professor and a highly gifted and inspirational youth coach, speaker, lay counselor, mentor, and academic who has touched and encouraged many young people with impeccable integrity.

Due to his dedication to serving humanity and exceptional human relations among others, Prof Kumi-Boateng has received over 50 awards including the prestigious UMeX award for best lecturer in UMaT, for four consecutive years. He is currently the youngest full professor by rank at UMaT and a visiting Professor to the University of the Gambia.

EARLY CHILDHOOD STRUGGLES
Prof Kumi-Boateng was born in Bantama, Kumasi on 15th June 1978 to Op Augustine Kofi Kumi (former Banker-to-Banker Lotto Agent in Tamale) and the late Madam Ama Owusuaa (then Pepper and Cassava Seller in Bantama).

Growing up at BA 144, Bantama in Kumasi, Prof Kumi-Boateng had no hope of succeeding in this world. It was a distressing mental, emotional, and physical challenge as he had no knowledge of the location of his father. His mother of blessed memory had to contend with raising 4 boys and 2 girls without any assistance from her husband.

His siblings together with their mum were crowded in a single room at BA 144. The room became so congested that the seniors had to sleep in the open space outside the room at the mercy of mosquitoes. Madam Owusuaa became diabetic with stroke and total blindness. She thus could no longer take care of her children.

It was at this point that he and his siblings had to take care of themselves by doing any menial jobs on the streets of Bantama and he (Prof Kumi-Boateng) ended up with a certain man by name “Thousand” (in Bantama) who offered to train him to become a toilet attendant at the age of 9.

Thousand (his master) taught him how to handle rush hours and be strong as a man and fight to survive. His master was kind and trusted him with the business to the extent that Prof Kumi-Boateng became his direct assistant in all 4 toilets at Bantama.

During the period that he was a toilet attendant, Prof Kumi-Boateng managed to complete his primary and JSS education at St Anthony Primary/JSS, Bantama in 1993. After JSS in Bantama, Prof Kumi-Boateng joined Madam Obaa Yaa at Kumasi PZ to sell second-hand shoes. She was also very kind and even took him as a son to stay with.

After a month or two of staying with Madam Obaa Yaa with no clear dream and anxious about the fact that all his siblings had dropped out of school, K-Bobo (a cripple friend in Bantama) was used by God to instruct him to go and look for his father in Tamale.

Prof Kumi-Boateng obeyed the instruction without hesitation and finally met his father for the first time in his life at the age of 15 in 1993. His father was a Banker-to-Banker lotto agent, who could barely feed himself and thus had no plan of taking him (Prof Kumi-Boateng) to school.

Fortunately, in Tamale, Prof Kumi-Boateng met Paul Napari of First Baptist Church and he introduced him to Pastor Joe Manu, who was then the Assistant Pastor at the First Baptist Church, Tamale. Paul Napari visited to check on Prof Kumi-Boateng one night after Church service and found him sleeping in the compound of the house, as his father was living in a very small room.

Paul Napari immediately gave Prof Kumi-Boateng a place to sleep in his house in Tamale. Prof Kumi-Boateng started JSS again in Zogbeli Block A, Tamale, completed in 1995, and proceeded to Tamale Secondary School to read Science.

In Tamale Secondary School he became the SU president and has since been a Christian. He obtained admission into the erstwhile KNUST School of Mines, Tarkwa (now UMaT), from where he obtained his BSc degree in Geomatic Engineering in 2004.