Professor Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Professor Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey, has been adjudged CEO of the Decade at the 2024 Ghana CEO Awards held in Accra.
Prof. Amartey also picked the CEO of the Year award in the Education category for his visionary leadership, innovation, and exceptional contributions to higher education in Ghana.
The dual recognition reflects Prof. Amartey’s dedication to academic excellence and commitment to making a positive impact on society through education and innovation since he assumed office in 2017.
Under his leadership, UPSA achieved unprecedented milestones and a global reputation, securing a first-time entry into the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings in 2021.
UPSA also received global recognition, appearing in prominent rankings such as the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings and the U-Multirank global university rankings.
The highlight of Prof. Amartey’s achievements included his innovative and student-centred approach to higher education management, which yielded exceptional results in student enrolment, doubling the overall student population at UPSA from 11,500 in 2017 to more than 22,000 in 2024.
The university’s academic offerings also increased significantly within the same period from 20 academic programmes in 2017 to 46 programmes in 2024.
The newly introduced programmes included six doctoral programmes, 12 master’s programmes, and eight undergraduate programmes.
The yearly research output of the university also more than doubled under Prof. Amartey, positioning UPSA among the top institutions in Ghana and on the continent.
Beyond the transformative academic strides, Prof. Amartey’s visionary leadership has steered UPSA towards an era of infrastructural transformation with internally generated funds (IGF).
Notable accomplishments include the fully IGF-funded construction of three state-of-the-art student hostel facilities, which collectively accommodate more than 4,500 students.
Prof. Amartey also oversaw the development of a multipurpose 10-storey Twin Tower block, a dedicated police station to enhance campus security, and the construction of a senior management village, which will provide housing for principal officers of the university.
Other initiatives under Prof. Amartey include impactful engagement with Senior High School (SHS) students, mentoring programmes, accessible education interventions for marginalised communities, lifelong learning advocacy, and the provision of scholarships to academically brilliant but financially challenged students under the Vice-Chancellor Endowment Fund.
The Ghana CEO Awards, a prestigious honorary awards scheme, recognises and rewards leadership excellence across all sectors of the business landscape.
The awards programme provides a platform to celebrate the nation’s top CEOs who are transforming lives or their organisations and making significant contributions to the growth and development of the business sector.
This year’s event was themed, “CEOs for Climate: Steering towards a Greener Future.” It brought together CEOs and business leaders from across the business community.