The Department was established in 1948 to provide leadership and academic excellence in Geography and Resource Development through rigorous scientific investigations of the bio-physical and human environment. 

Brief History

Since its establishment, the Department has and continues to successfully offer courses at the BA, MSc, MPhil and PhD levels in both Physical and Human Geography, in areas such as Climatology, Geomorphology, Cartography, Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems (RS/GIS), Transportation, Population, Gender, Health, Historical Geography, Rural Resources Development, Tourism Development, Urban Studies, Regional Development, among others. Senior members in the Department carry out cutting-edge research and extension activities in these areas. The Department hosts the state-of-the-art Remote Sensing GIS Laboratory laboratory. In addition, the Department shares a common compound and facilities with the Ecological Laboratory (ECOLAB) and CERGIS, which are situated within its premises and provide teaching and research support for faculty and students. Due to its commitment to its mandate and the hardworking faculty and staff, the Department enjoys increasing patronage from undergraduate and graduate students. 

 

 

 

 

Vision

To become an eminent department that works to understand, explain and improve communities spatially and human conditions geographically. 

Mission

Mission statement

The department’s mission is to provide comprehensive higher educational knowledge, and workforce training programs and services of superior quality that meet individual, business, and community needs by:

  1. Offering comprehensive and enriched undergraduate and graduate programs;
  2. Encouraging and strengthening the utilization of a broad range of technologies, methods, materials, and facilities, within instructional and support services that accommodate students of diverse backgrounds, interests, and abilities;
  3. Creating an environment that facilitates learning through a curriculum that broadens perspectives, leads to responsible citizenship, and sets standards that support the highest level of performance;
  4. Championing the university’s vision of becoming a world-class research-intensive institution that serves industry and enriches communities by making evidence-based resources available.

Administrative Leadership

See All

Professor Alex Owusu Barimah

Head of Department

Professor Alex Barimah Owusu is a Geo-Information Scientist and serving as Head of the Department of Geography and Resource Development at the University of Ghana. His research expertise spans Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, spatial analysis, and environmental modelling, with a strong focus on urbanization, land-use and land-cover change, climate change impacts, flood risk and vulnerability, and sustainable development in Ghana and beyond. He has an extensive record of peer-reviewed publications that apply geospatial technologies to address policy-relevant challenges in urban resilience, environmental management, and public health. Professor Owusu holds advanced training in geography and geoinformation science and provides strategic academic leadership through curriculum development, staff mentorship, and the promotion of interdisciplinary and internationally engaged research.