The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Professor Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey, has been recognised as the CEO of the Decade at the 2024 Ghana CEO Awards held on Friday, July 26 in Accra.

Prof Amartey also received the CEO of the Year in Education award for his visionary leadership, innovation and exceptional contributions to higher education in Ghana.

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.

The dual recognition reflects the 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 the leadership of Prof Amartey, UPSA has achieved an unprecedented milestone and global reputation, securing a first-time entry into the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, and the U-Multirank global university rankings.

Prof. Amartey’s innovative and student-centred approach to higher education management also 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 a repertoire of 46 programmes in 2024.

The newly introduced programmes include six doctoral programmes, 12 master’s programmes, and eight undergraduate programmes.

The yearly research output of the university also more than doubled within the period, 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 through internally generated funds (IGF).

Notable accomplishments include the fully IGF-funded construction of three separate state-of-the-art student hostel complexes, which collectively accommodate more than 4,500 students.

He 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 embarked by Prof. Amartey include impactful engagement with Senior High School (SHS) students, mentoring programmes, accessible education initiatives for marginalised communities, lifelong learning advocacy, and the provision of scholarships to academically brilliant but financially challenged students under the Vice-Chancellor Endowment Fund.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, the Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar commended the recipients for their significant contributions to national development.

She highlighted the crucial role of visionary leadership in advancing the country’s economic and overall progress.

“As leaders in the business community, CEOs hold the pivotal role in driving transformation towards a more sustainable and resilient future,” Ms Abubakar said

CEO of Globe Production and Event Organiser, Latif Abubakar urged the business community to foster connections to inspire innovation and business growth.