George Akilagpa Sawyerr, (born 24 March 1939) is a

Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. He is a professor in the field of law and has served in various universities in Ghana and abroad. He is a former vice-chancellor of the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...

and also a former president of the

Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) is a learned society for the arts and sciences based in Accra, Ghana. The institution was founded in November 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah with the aim to promote the pursuit, advancement and dissemination ...

Early life and education

George was born on 24 March 1939 to Akilagpa Sawyerr and Charlotte Amy (''née'' Mettle) Sawyerr. He attended

Achimota School Achimota School (Help:IPA/English, /ɑːtʃimoʊtɑː/ ), formerly Prince of Wales College and School at Achimota, later Achimota College, now nicknamed Motown, is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra Reg ...

, where he received his Cambridge Certificate in 1956 and his Cambridge Higher Certificate in 1958. He studied at the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to ...

for his bachelor of laws degree (LL.B). He received his Master of Laws degree (LL.M) from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

and the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. He received his doctorate in Juridical Science (JSD) from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1972.

Career

Akilagpa joined the teaching faculty of the

University of Dar Es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) (Swahili: ''Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam'') is a public university located in Ubungo District, Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. ...

in 1964 as lecturer and later on a senior lecturer. In 1969 he was appointed director of the university's research center, a position he held until 1970. He moved to Ghana that same year and was employed at the

as a lecturer at the faculty of law. In 1979 he worked as a professor of law at the

University of Papua New Guinea The University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) is a university located in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea. It was established by ordinance of the Australian administration in 1965. This followed the Currie Commission which had enquired ...

. He worked there until 1985 when he was appointed vice-chancellor of the

. He served in that capacity until 1992. In 1993 he was appointed director of research for the Association of African Universities, rising to the position of Secretary-General of the Association from 2003 to 2008. In 2015, he was elected president of the

Publications

Akilgpa has authored many books, chapters and articles that have been published in journals. His interest are mostly focused on legal matters and higher education in Africa. Some of his books include: *''The Student Loans Scheme: Two Decades of Experience in Ghana'' (2001) *''The Politics of Adjustment Policy'' (1988) *''Challenges Facing African Universities: Selected Issues'' (2002) *''The Political Dimension of Structural Adjustment Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa'' (1990) *''The Doctrine of Precedent in the Court of Appeal for East Africa'' (1971)

Award and legacy

In 2018 he was conferred an honorary Doctor of Letters (D. Litt, Honoris Causa) degree by the

University of Cape Coast The University of Cape Coast (UCC) is a public collegiate university located in the historic town of Cape Coast in the central region of Ghana. The campus has a rare seafront and sits on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It operates on two ...

. The road stretch from the roundabout to the campus of the

was named in his honour.

Personal life

He is married to Judith Sara Quitkin. Together they have two children. His hobbies include tennis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyerr, Akilagpa 1939 births 20th-century Ghanaian educators Alumni of Achimota School Alumni of the University of London Living people Academic staff of the University of Ghana Vice-chancellors of the University of Ghana Vice-chancellors of universities in Ghana Alumni of King's College, Newcastle Members of the Council of State (Ghana)