The acting Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Prof Nana Ama Browne Klutse, is set to be honoured as a queen mother in the Abura traditional area of the Central Region.

She will ascend the stool as Nana Ama Kum I, Mpuntu Hemaa of the Abura traditional area.

Prof Klutse announced the honour on her Facebook page, describing it as a sacred calling to serve her people.

“This new role is a sacred responsibility, one that calls for service, development, and the continued upliftment of our people.”

The colourful ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, January 3, 2026, at the Abakrampa Durbar Grounds at 10:00 a.m.

Prof. Klutse, born in 1981 at Nyanfeku Ekroful, began her education at Anomabo Methodist Primary and JHS before progressing to Mfantsiman Girls’ Secondary School. She later earned a BSc in Physics from the University of Cape Coast, followed by a PhD in Climatology from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

A leading climate scientist, Prof. Klutse’s work focuses on the climate dynamics of West Africa, particularly the African monsoon. She previously headed the Department of Physics at the University of Ghana and managed the Remote Sensing and Climate Centre. She is also a Climate Science Fellow of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences and a lead author of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). In July 2023, she was elected Vice-Chair of Working Group I of the IPCC.

Beyond academia, she is a strong advocate for girls in science, championing STEM education across Ghana. Her professional journey includes serving as a senior research scientist at the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, and as a guest lecturer at WASCAL in Akure, Nigeria.

In January 2025, President John Dramani Mahama appointed her as the first woman to lead the Environmental Protection Authority. In this role, she has spearheaded ambitious reforms in climate action and the fight against illegal mining. She currently leads a major land reclamation programme aimed at restoring livelihoods destroyed by galamsey, especially in the Amansie Central District.

Prof. Klutse says her new role as queen mother will deepen her commitment to service and to the community that shaped her.