Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo is the first female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana and a Professor of Linguistics. With nearly twenty-five years of experience in academia and university leadership, she is widely recognised for her innovative, inclusive, and transformational approach to higher education. Her leadership is anchored in two guiding principles: harnessing technology as an enabler and placing people at the centre of institutional transformation.
Appointed Vice-Chancellor in October 2021 after serving briefly as Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Amfo has provided strategic leadership for the University through a period of significant institutional growth. Under her stewardship, the University has strengthened its position as one of Africa's leading research-intensive universities by advancing research excellence, digital transformation, student-centred education, sustainable resource mobilisation, and impactful local and global partnerships. She previously served as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Founding Dean of the School of Languages, and Head of the Department of Linguistics.
Professor Amfo holds a BA in French and Linguistics from the University of Ghana and MPhil and PhD degrees in Linguistics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway. She also holds a postgraduate certificate in Administration and Management from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and has undertaken executive leadership programmes at Harvard Business School, INSEAD (France), and the University of Applied Sciences, Osnabrück (Germany).
Her research lies in the field of Pragmatics, with interests in multilingualism, language and gender, health communication, political discourse, and higher education. She has led numerous interdisciplinary research projects, published extensively in leading international journals, and supervised and mentored many graduate students and early-career academics.
Professor Amfo is a globally sought-after speaker on higher education leadership, research partnerships, language, gender, and Africa's role in global knowledge production. She has participated in academic and professional engagements in 37 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia, contributing to international conversations on equitable partnerships, research collaboration, artificial intelligence, multilingualism, and the future of higher education.
She currently serves as Chair of the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Chair of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) Partnership Board, and Vice-Chair of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA). She is also Ambassador for Gender Equity and Social Inclusion for the Association of African Universities (AAU), a member of the Administrative Board of the International Association of Universities (IAU), and a member of the Consultation Board of the International Pragmatics Association (IPrA), becoming the first African elected to that Board since the Association's establishment in 1986.
Professor Amfo is the Founding President of the African Humanities Association (AHA), President of the International Federation of Modern Languages and Literatures (FILLM), and Co-founder and former Acting President of the African Pragmatics Association. She previously served as President of the Linguistics Association of Ghana (2010–2014). A pioneer Fellow and Senior Scholar of the African Humanities Program of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), she continues to mentor emerging scholars across Africa and beyond.
Her outstanding contributions to scholarship and higher education leadership have earned her numerous honours, including the GUBA Nana Yaa Asantewaa Woman of Enlightenment Award (2021), the Glitz Africa 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 Professional Fellowship, and the International Women's Forum Leadership Foundation programme. She is also a life member of the University of Ghana Alumni Association.
She is married to Mr. Frank Amfo, and together they are proud parents of three children: Yoofi, Maame Araba, and Efua Benyiwa.