Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu (left) receiving her citation from Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman, Minister of Education
Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu, a former Ag. Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development, at the weekend received an award at the 3rd Ghana Women of Excellence Award held at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel. The award was in recognition of her contribution to Tertiary Education and Scientific Research.
The awards ceremony, organised by Top Brass Ghana in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection was held as part of this year’s International Women’s Day celebrations on the theme: “Empowering the Ghanaian Woman for National Development”.
The citation was presented to Prof. Ntiamoa-Baidu by the Minister of Education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman.
Ayeeko to Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa Baidu for this award.
Please find excerpts of the citation below:
Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu was educated at St Monica’s Secondary School and Konongo-Odumasi Secondary School for her “O” Level (1967.) and “A” Level (1969) Certificates, respectively. She was the first student to obtain a First Class (Hons) degree in Zoology from the University of Ghana in 1975, 27 years after the Department was established. She proceeded to acquire a straight PhD Degree from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in 1980. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu is a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu started her professional career in the Department of Game and Wildlife (now Wildlife Division) in 1975 where she rose to the position of Deputy Head (Research Division). She then joined the Department of Zoology (now Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science) of the University of Ghana as a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in 1985 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1995. Her impressive contribution to her field of specialisation, through teaching, research and a long list of publications, earned her a Full Professorship in 2003, making her the first female Professor of Zoology in Ghana.
At the University of Ghana, Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu served as Head of the Department of Zoology (1995 to 1998) and Dean of the School of Research and Graduate Studies (2008 to 2010). She is credited with employing her innovative management approach to help raise funds for upgrading facilities at the Department, during a period of resource crunch at the University.
As Dean of the School of Research and Graduate Studies, Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu brought fundamental and radical changes to the operations of the School. Her unrelenting efforts at expanding and improving research at the University and her obvious talent for turning organisations into winning operations led to her appointment as the founding Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Office of Research, Innovation and Development . She retired formally from the University in July 2011, but continues to pursue her passion for promoting research capacity development and training of the University’s younger faculty. Between 2010 and 2014 she led the development of proposals that raised nearly eight million US dollars external grant funding to support faculty training and research at the University of Ghana. Many young faculty members of the University owe to her the opportunity to complete their doctoral studies through grants which she spearheaded in mobilising.
In acknowledgement of her contribution to the University’s academic and research programmes, the University of Ghana honoured her with the 2010 Distinguished Award for Meritorious Service. She has also received several international awards for her contribution to wildlife research, training and conservation capacity development in Africa, including, the Medal of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, United Kingdom; Member of Honour (BirdLife International) and the Officer of the Order of the Golden Ark, awarded by His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to Tertiary Education and Scientific Research in Ghana, this Ghana Women of Excellence Award is conferred on Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu.
