PROF. VENRA FIADOR MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE UTAG PRESIDENT

In a landmark event for Ghanaian academia, Professor Vera Ogeh Fiador has officially assumed office as the first female National President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG).

Her inauguration took place on 30 September 2025, during the 22nd Biennial UTAG Congress in Aburi, Eastern Region. She steps into the role after being elected on 5 August 2025, succeeding Prof. Mamudu A. Akudugu, who completed his two-year term.

Prof. Fiador is currently a Professor of Finance at the University of Ghana Business School. Her election marks another first: she is already recognized as Ghana’s first female full Professor of Finance. She formerly headed the Department of Finance and is well known for her work in corporate governance, gender diversity, enterprise risk, and environmental and social risk management.

In addition to her academic roles, Prof. Fiador has consulted for national and international bodies including GIZ, the IFC, SNV, and the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA).

At her swearing-in, Prof. Fiador reflected on the critical role of academia in national development, describing universities as the “beating heart and curious mind” of the nation. She issued a clarion call to renew the social contract between scholars and society, lamenting “shrinking public trust,” underinvestment, and marginalization of academic voices.

She also cautioned that many academics may retire into poverty unless conditions of service improve. She urged that teaching, research, and public service be matched with sustainable remuneration, support, and institutional autonomy.

To support her mandate, she has outlined key priorities:

• Sustainable funding for public universities, emphasizing multi-year, predictable budgets
• Improved conditions of service to attract and retain top academic talent
• Protection of academic freedom so scholars can research and speak freely
• Stronger industry-academia linkages to ensure research translates into real impact
• Greater visibility and accountability of UTAG, not through noise but through useful, measurable outcomes

Her election has been widely celebrated in academic circles as a breakthrough for gender equity in university leadership. UTAG members at the Congress reportedly greeted her with enthusiastic applause at the swearing-in ceremony.

As she begins her two-year tenure, all eyes will be on how she translates her vision into action, especially amid perennial challenges facing Ghana’s higher education sector: funding constraints, brain drain, infrastructural deficits, and ensuring research relevance to national development.