Professor Elliot Haruna Alhassan has been elected as the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies, UDS. After close of polls on 3rd November, 2023, Prof Alhassan garnered 308 votes out of the 741 representing 41.6 percent of the total valid votes cast.
He beat his closest contender, Prof. Samuel Dankoh who secured 281 votes representing 37.9 percent while Prof. Nafiu Amidu came third with 152 votes, representing 20.5 percent of the total valid votes cast.
Pursuant to the University’s conduct of an election for Pro Vice-Chancellorship, the name of the leading candidate will be submitted for consideration by the University Council.
When approved by the Council, Prof. Alhassan will serve under the incumbent Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Seidu Al-hassan
PROFILE OF PROF E.H. ALHASSAN
Professor Elliot Haruna Alhassan was born on 27th March 1979 in Tamale to Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Alhassan. He is the second of five siblings. He started his basic education at the Canteen Primary School when his Dad who was working with the then Cotton Development Board was transferred from Tamale to Damongo, now the Savannah Regional capital.
He joined the St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Primary and Junior Secondary Schools at Basic 5 and completed with the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in 1994. He later attended Tamale Senior Secondary School and completed with the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) in 1997.
In 1999, he proceeded to the University for Development Studies (UDS), pursued a 4-year BSc Agriculture Technology (Renewable Natural Resources option), and graduated with a Second Class Honours (Upper Division) in 2003. He later enrolled at the University of Ghana, Legon where he obtained his MPhil and PhD Fisheries Science degrees in 2007 and 2013 respectively.
He started his academic career here in UDS from a humble beginning as a Senior Research Assistant in November 2004 with the then Department of Renewable Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Nyankpala campus. He was appointed a Lecturer in November 2008. Through hard work and the Grace of God, he was promoted to the rank of a Senior Lecturer in July 2013, an Associate Professor in July 2018, and a Professor of Fisheries and Aquatic Science on 25th March 2022 (i.e. 2 days to his 43rd birthday). He is therefore the youngest Full Professor of Fisheries and Aquatic Science in Ghana.
His research interest includes freshwater ecology, water quality assessment, fish stock assessment, management of small-scale inland fisheries, wetland ecology and conservation, impact of climate change and climate variability on inland fisheries, fish farming and contribution of small-scale inland fisheries to food security. He collaborates with several researchers in Ghana, Sub-Saharan Africa, Germany and China.
Professor Alhassan has had an exceptional career in this university, combining teaching, research and community service with administrative duties. He held the following key positions.
He is the UDS Focal Point to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). He was the Deputy Coordinator of the research group, Exceed-Swindon Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Network and a member of the Management Board of the Exceed-Swindon Network. He is also a member of the sub-committee to update the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) Strategy and to develop a new IPSI Plan of Action.
Professor E. H. Alhassan is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Conservation Partners Ghana, Member of the Interim Governing Council of the Savannah College of Education in Daboya, Chairman of both the Education and Scholarship Committees of the Unity Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Sakasaka – Tamale.
He is the Patron of the Unity Congregation Church Choir, Sakasaka-Tamale, Nyankpala campus Chapters of the National Union of Presbyterian Students of Ghana (NUPS-G), and the National Association of Gonjaland Students (NAGS).
He is a recipient of a Citation of Honour for outstanding, dedicated and selfless devotion to duty in the services to the Gonja Kingdom during the 10th anniversary celebration of His Royal Majesty, Yagbonwura Tuntunba Bore Essa I, the late King of the Gonja Kingdom and President of the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs.
He also delivered the Keynote Address at the 2022 Gonja Damba in Tamale on the Theme ‘promoting peaceful co-existence in Northern Region: the role of the Gonjaland community in Tamale’.
Professor Elliot Alhassan was the Chairman of the Committee for the establishment of an Enterprise Risk Management system at the University for Development Studies, which developed the Risk Management Policy, Risk Profiles and Risk Management Charter for the UDS. He was also the Chairman of a number of Disciplinary Committees that investigated misconduct of staff and students. The Chairman of the Faculty of Biosciences Board, and Chairman of the Faculty of Biosciences Appointment and Promotion Committee. He was also Chairman of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources Board, where through his able leadership; the Faculty was rebranded as the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment in November 2016 to expand its mandate to include non-renewable natural resources and issues of the environment.
Professor Alhassan is also interested in career development of young faculty and therefore instituted a monthly senior member’s seminar series dubbed ‘FNRE Colloquium’ while serving as Dean of the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment. He has again instituted same at the Faculty of Biosciences christened ‘Bioscience Discourse’ to serve as a platform especially for early career scientists in preparing them towards presenting papers and sharing their research findings at national and international conferences.
Professor Alhassan was also a member of the Committee on Realignment of Programmes and Rationalization of Academic Staff of UDS, member of the Committee for the conversion of UDS into three autonomous Universities, as well as member of the UDS Research Development Policy Committee.
He is a member of the Academic Board of UDS, Executive Committee of Academic Board, Scholarship Committee, Estimates Committee, Nyankpala Campus Board, Campus Finance Committee, and Campus Development Committee.
He has served as member for Ghana Tertiary Education Commission Panel of Assessors to undertake an assessment exercise of both undergraduate and postgraduate progammes at the University of Ghana, Legon and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
Professor Alhassan has supervised 56 undergraduate dissertations and 18 postgraduate thesis. He serves as an External Examiner of postgraduate thesis from the Department of Marine and Fisheries Science, University of Ghana, Legon, and the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, University of Cape Coast. He is also an External Assessor for promotion of senior members for a number of universities. He also served as a part-time lecturer at the Department of Fisheries and Water Resources, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani and the Institute of Local Government Studies, Tamale campus.
In terms of Grants and Projects, he was a member of the Volta Basin Project on water quality profile in specific ecosystems of the Volta Basin (Burkina Faso –Togo – Ghana) in view of risk assessment funded by Exceed-Swindon Network,
Aquaculture Innovation Lab Project on Genetic resource base of tilapias in Northern Volta Basin adaptable to Climate Change funded by USAID,. WASH Project in 479 communities in Northern Region of Ghana funded by UNICEF, the Exceed-Swindon Network Travel Grants to attend scientific workshops and conferences in Jordan, South Africa, Kenya, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso, and the IPSI Travel Grant to attend a conference in South Korea.
He is a peer reviewer for many local and international journals. These include the West African Journal of Applied Ecology, Tanzania Journal of Science, Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, The Proceedings of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Reviews in Aquaculture, Marine and Freshwater Research, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Lakes and Reservoirs, International Aquaculture Research, Science of the Total Environment amongst others. He is also a member of the editorial boards of the Ghana Journal of Science, Technology and Development, and UDS International Journal of Development.
Professor Elliot Haruna Alhassan represents a rare breed of Senior University Academics and Administrators who combine very demanding and busy administrative duties with substantive teaching, research and community service. This is evidenced by his stellar teaching record, research output, and management experience and community service over the years.
Professor Alhassan has over 150 scientific publications to his credit including 72 articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, 6 book chapters, 70 referenced conference proceedings, and 8 technical reports. He has attended and presented papers at international conferences, scientific meetings and workshops including:
Professor E. H. Alhassan was the Moderator of a Panel discussion at the second Regional Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining and Deforestation organized by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. He served as a Local Expert to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) evaluation field mission to Mole National Park for its inscription as a World Heritage Site. He was a Guest Speaker at the third Biennial Conference of District Directors of Agriculture on the theme: Decentralization and its impact on Agriculture, and a Guest Speaker at the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) Beijing Chapter on the topic: Academic research and publications. He was Chairman, Organizing Committee of the Exceed-Swindon Sub-Saharan Africa Conference 2021 on water resources management in Africa: current and future challenges.
Professor E. H. Alhassan envisions sharing his knowledge and leadership through teaching, research, community and consultancy services, and mentoring of staff and students in order to create a more inclusive society.
Throughout his working life, he displayed the highest degree of responsibility and showed leadership in all the positions he occupied at the UDS. His level of fairness is an index of his high respect for different ideas and perspectives. For those who are familiar with his professional and administrative contributions to the UDS academic community, he is simply an outstanding young but matured personality.
He is married to Madam Godslove Adjeiwaa Kordie, a Chartered Management Consultant and currently an Assistant Registrar with the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, UDS. The union is blessed with three children, Ellis, Edwin and Elissa. He is a Presbyterian and worships with the Unity Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Sakasaka-Tamale. His hobbies are walking, listening to country music and watching documentaries.
Story by
Abdul-Hayi Moomen
(UDS Media)
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