UG Vice Chancellor speaks on Akufo-Addo's suggestion to rename the university after J. B. Danquah

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, reacted to the suggestion by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that the university should be renamed after Ghanaian statesman, the late J. B. Danquah.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNew’s The Pulse programme, Prof. Appiah Amfo refuted the assertion that some people who contributed meaningfully to the establishment of the university, like J. B. Danquah, have not been properly recognised.

She added that there are different ways of recognising people who have contributed massively to the development of the university, and that has been done.

“I think that all those who played significant roles in the establishment of the university have properly been acknowledged. What the president was advocating for was a renaming of the university after him (J. B. Danquah).

“But that is something that is subject to a huge debate. There are various ways in which to acknowledge people who have contributed to the establishment of the university. And we have a whole avenue named after J.B. Danquah—that is the major avenue in this university,” she told JoyNews’ Blessed Sogah.

The academic also refuted the assertion that the university lacks an identity because it is not named after an individual.

“The University of Ghana represents the nation; it represents the nation, and this is a brand that is well known all over the world, all of these years. It is representative of the nation,” she stressed.

This story was initially published on Tuesday,24 October 2023. It is being reproduced as part of GhanaWeb's Year-in-Retrospect files as we wrap up the year.