By: Evans Osei-Bonsu
Professor Christian Agyare has officially been invested as the 13th Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), marking the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Ghana’s premier science and technology university.
The colourful investiture ceremony, held at the Great Hall of KNUST on Saturday, August 1, was chaired by the Chancellor of the University, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who charged the new Vice-Chancellor to preserve and strengthen the institution’s enviable tradition of academic excellence, innovation, integrity and transformational leadership.
Addressing the gathering, the Asantehene urged Professor Agyare to build on the enduring legacy established by his predecessors while steering the University to even greater heights in research, teaching, innovation and global competitiveness.
Professor Agyare succeeds Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, who bows out after serving as Vice-Chancellor since August 2020. During her tenure, she became the first woman to lead KNUST and oversaw significant strides in research, infrastructure expansion, digital transformation, international collaborations and student support initiatives, further consolidating the University’s reputation as one of Africa’s leading higher education institutions.
The ceremony attracted a distinguished audience from government, academia, the judiciary, traditional leadership and industry. Representing President John Dramani Mahama was the Chief of Staff, Dr. Julius Debrah. Also in attendance were the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams; the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. (Med.) Frank Amoakohene; immediate past President of the Ghana Bar Association, Lawyer Yaw Boafo; members of the University Council, heads of institutions, faculty, staff, students and several invited guests.
Professor Agyare assumes office after more than two decades of distinguished service to KNUST, where he has combined academic excellence with administrative leadership. Prior to his appointment, he served as Provost of the College of Health Sciences, having previously held several strategic positions, including Head of the University’s Quality Assurance and Planning Unit, where he spearheaded reforms that strengthened institutional planning, accountability and digital governance.
An internationally acclaimed Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Professor Agyare is widely respected for his groundbreaking research in antimicrobial resistance, ethnopharmacology, wound healing, natural products and anticancer drug discovery. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications and attracted over US$11 million in competitive international research grants from organisations including the German Research Foundation, the Mastercard Foundation and the World Bank. His work has earned him global recognition and significantly enhanced KNUST’s research profile.
A product of KNUST, Professor Agyare obtained his Bachelor of Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacy degrees from the University before earning a doctoral degree from the University of Münster in Germany. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral and research appointments in the United States, including at the University of California, San Francisco, and Novartis/Seeding Labs in Boston, experiences that further enriched his academic and research career.
His appointment was approved by the KNUST Governing Council in May this year following a competitive selection process. He will serve a four-year term from August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2030, becoming the 13th substantive Vice-Chancellor since the University’s establishment in 1951.
Source: Purefmonlinegh.com || Evans Osei-Bonsu || 2026
