Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo is the first female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana and a Professor of Linguistics. With close to two and a half decades of service in academia and university administration, she is widely recognised for her innovation, resourcefulness, and inclusive leadership. Her vision is anchored in two core principles: harnessing technology as an enabler and advancing human welfare across all operations of the University.
Appointed Vice-Chancellor in October 2021, after serving briefly as Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Amfo previously held several key academic and administrative roles, including Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Founding Dean of the School of Languages, and Head of the Department of Linguistics. She has played a significant role in the governance of the University through service on numerous statutory, strategic, and advisory boards and committees. She currently chairs the Academic Board, Business and Executive Committee, and the Appointments and Promotions Board, among others.
Professor Amfo holds MPhil and PhD degrees in Linguistics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and a BA in French and Linguistics from the University of Ghana. She also holds a postgraduate certificate in Administration and Management from GIMPA and has undertaken executive leadership training at Harvard Business School, INSEAD (France), and the University of Applied Sciences in Osnabrück, Germany.
Her scholarly expertise lies in Pragmatics, focusing on how context influences communication across domains such as health, politics, gender, and migration. She has led numerous research projects, both disciplinary and interdisciplinary, and has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and international conference proceedings.
A globally sought-after public speaker, Professor Amfo has participated in academic and professional engagements in over 35 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia. She has served as an external examiner and assessor for several universities, facilitated training programmes, and contributed to major international conversations on higher education, equity, and inclusion.
She currently serves as Chair of the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Vice-Chair of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), and Vice-Chair of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN). She is also Ambassador for Gender Equity and Social Inclusion for the Association of African Universities (AAU). Professor Amfo is a member of the Administrative Board of the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the Consultation Board of the International Pragmatics Association, where she is the first African to be so elected since the Association’s establishment in 1986.
She is also Co-founder and former Acting President of the African Pragmatics Association, Founding President of the African Humanities Association, and President of the Federation of Modern Languages and Literatures (FILLM), a UNESCO-affiliated scholarly body. From 2010 to 2014, she served as President of the Linguistics Association of Ghana. She is a pioneer fellow and senior scholar of the African Humanities Program of the American Council of Learned Societies and continues to mentor early-career academics across the continent.
Her outstanding contributions have earned her numerous awards, including the GUBA (Grow Unite Build Africa) Nana Yaa Asantewaa Woman of Enlightenment Award (2021), Glitz Africa Ghana Woman of the Year for Excellence in Education (2023), and the Legacy and GADIA State Awards (2023) for excellence in leadership, education, and gender empowerment.
Professor Amfo is a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Commonwealth Professionals Fellowship, and the International Women’s Forum Leadership Program. She is a life member of the University of Ghana Alumni Association.
She is married to Mr. Frank Amfo, and they are proud parents of three children: Yoofi, Maame Araba, and Efua Benyiwa.