Ghanaian student leader and former General Secretary of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Divine Edem Kwadzodeh, has been elected Secretary-General of the All-Africa Students Union (AASU), becoming the next chief executive and administrative officer of the largest and oldest continental student movement in Africa.

His election took place on Saturday, 22nd November 2025, during the first phase of AASU’s 14th Elective Congress.

Divine, who currently serves as Policy Advisor on Education Policy and Advocacy as well as Head of Research and Communications at AASU, was elected by delegates from national student unions across all fifty-four (54) African countries. His new role as Secretary-General of AASU places him at the forefront of continental student representation and advocacy from January 2026 to December 2029.

A student activist since his high school days at the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School, Legon – Accra, Divine Edem Kwadzodeh brings over a decade of student leadership and policy experience to the position. A former General Secretary of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) between 2019 and 2021, Divine played a pivotal role in national policy discourse on education financing, the transition to online learning during COVID-19, and student welfare during his time with NUGS.

He also previously worked with the Global Student Forum (GSF) as a Communications and Media Officer and was for two academic years from 2019 and 2021, the President of the Alexander Adum Kwapong Hall Junior Common Room at the University of Ghana, where he studied Political Science and Philosophy for his undergraduate degree. 

He is currently pursuing the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree at the University of London. Outside student activism, he is the founder and Managing Director of Dekklatt Consulting Limited, a start-up management consulting and strategic communications firm based in Accra.

Vision for AASU
In his acceptance message, Kwadzodeh pledged to work towards a stronger, more visible, and more impactful Union, saying the mandate “belongs to every African student who believes in a united Continental student movement as a basis to make quality education more accessible in Africa.” Alongside Divine, the following officers were also elected:

• President: Osisiogu Osikenyi Enyinnaya (Nigeria)
• Deputy President: Maravilha Kapaia (Angola)
• Deputy Secretary-General: Alistar Pfunye (Zimbabwe)
• Vice President for West Africa: Rosália Djedjo (Guinea-Bissau)
• Vice President for East Africa: Valentine Mugun Chepkoech (Kenya)
• Secretary for Finance & Administration: Vanessa Kokoe Augustine Ajavon (Togo)

In a press statement released by the Union, AASU indicated that this was the first phase of the elections for the Congress. A second phase will be held for the remaining offices on Monday, 15 December 2025. The offices are Vice Presidents for Central, Southern, and North Africa.

The rest are the Secretaries for Education and Students Rights; Press and Information; Gender and Affirmative Action, as well as Executive Committee Members for West, Central, East, Southern, and North Africa.