As part of his familiarity tour of the units within the College of Humanities (CoH), Professor Daniel Ofori, the Provost of the CoH visited the Institute of African Studies on Wednesday, 13 October 2021 at 11:00am. The purpose of the visit was to acquaint himself with the activities of the Institute and interact with colleagues. The Director of the Institute, Professor Dzodzi Tsikata welcomed the Provost to IAS and expressed her gratitude for the visit. Subsequently, the Director and the Mr. William Asare, the Administrator of the Institute accompanied the Provost on a tour of some of the academic resources of the Institute.
The Provost visited the J. H. K. Nketia Archives and the Library, located at the old site of the Institute. At the Archives, the Archivist, Mrs Judith Opoku Boateng and her team of staff received the Provost and explained the way the archive operates to secure audio and print materials. At the IAS Library, the Provost was met by the Chief Library Assistant, Mr. Twum Danso who took the Provost and the Director round the library. During the tour, the Provost took the opportunity to interact with some of the staff in their offices.
Subsequently, there was a meeting session held between the Provost and the Internal Management Committee of the Institute. The Internal Management Committee is a non-statutory body constituted to support the Director in the daily administration and management of the Institute. It comprises the heads of the various Sections and Units. They are:
1. Societies and Cultures – Dr. Osman Alhassan
2. Language, Literature and Drama – Dr. Obadele Kambon
3. Media and Visual Arts – Dr. Irene Appeaning Addo
4. History and Politics – Dr. Samuel Ntewusu
5. Music and Dance – Dr Moses Nii-Dortey
6. Religions and Philosophy – Dr. Edward Nanbigne
7. Master’s Programme – Dr. Mercy Akrofi Ansah
8. Doctoral Programme – Dr. Michael Kpessa-Whyte
9. University of Ghana Required Courses (UGRC)- Dr. Benjamin Kwansa
10. Chair of Graduate Studies Committee – Prof. Kojo Amanor
11. Chair of Ghana Dance Ensemble – Prof. Esi Sutherland-Addy
12. Publications Officer – Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo
13. Prof. Emerita Takyiwa Manuh
14. Administration – Mr. William Asare
At the meeting, the Director of IAS took the opportunity to brief the Provost about some of the activities being undertaken by the Institute, including institutional projects, academic programmes and various research projects being led by individual faculty members. Consequently, the Director requested comments and remarks from members of the Committee. Members made several comments ranging from appeals and requests for the Provost to consider for redress. Some of the issues raised included the new promotion policy; the capping of student numbers for each UGRC class; mode of teaching during the next academic year; funding for research projects; and recruitment of new faculty to replace aging faculty members nearing retirement. In response to these comments and requests, the Provost indicated that his Office was doing the best to tackle the issues comprehensively. He assured the Institute that he was aware of some of the issues, especially regarding the matter of the recruitment of new faculty, but he asserted that the university could only hire if clearance was given by the Government. On the promotion policy he stated that the policy was under review and that all the proposals that had been forwarded for consideration would be looked at. The Provost also assured the Institute that the College would be ready to support some minor projects with funds and therefore asked that members could submit their applications for consideration.
The Provost expressed his delight for the work being done by the Institute to help realize the vision of the College and the University as a whole. He encouraged members to stay the course to meet the strategic objectives of the University. The Director on behalf of the Internal Management Committee thanked the Provost for his visit and also pledged the readiness of the Institute to contribute towards the realization of the University’s vision.