By Stephen Asante, GNA
Accra, Oct. 22, GNA – Professor Ato Quayson, the newly installed Kwame Nkrumah Chair in African Studies, University of Ghana, has pledged to promote vibrant discourse between Ghana and the Black Diaspora to strengthen their ties and encourage Africans abroad to contribute to the continent’s development.
He said stronger engagement would help members of the Diaspora to cultivate a sense of belonging and connection to their roots.
Prof. Quayson made the pledge on Wednesday after his inauguration as the fifth occupant of the Chair at the University of Ghana.
The Chair is a prestigious academic position established to honour Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, for his contributions to African thought and his commitment to the liberation and development of the continent.
It promotes research, teaching and public engagement in Africana Studies, providing a platform for scholars to examine Africa’s history, development and challenges.
The Chair also recognises Dr Nkrumah’s contribution to academic development, including the establishment of the Institute of African Studies, the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Encyclopedia Africana project.
Prof. Quayson praised Dr Nkrumah’s visionary leadership, particularly his efforts to promote continental unity and integration, including links with Africans in the Diaspora.
He said he would draw inspiration from the late President’s determination, commitment to human advancement, and dedication to national development.
Prof. Quayson said his work would examine how Dr Nkrumah’s policies helped to shape national identity and foster attachment to the nation-state.
He noted that colonial rule had treated the Gold Coast as a collection of fragments, partly shaped by ethnic divisions that the colonial administration had cultivated and used as instruments of governance from the 1870s.
He also announced plans to establish a mentoring scheme to support students in pursuing academic excellence.
“I’m interested in instigating collaborations, animating the students to imagine themselves bigger than they are, and also establish principles of research for all levels,” he said.
Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, congratulated Prof. Quayson on his appointment and expressed confidence that he would use his academic expertise to advance the university’s development.
Prof. Quayson is a Ghanaian-Canadian literary critic and the Jean G. and Morris M. Doyle Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and English at Stanford University, where he was the inaugural chair of the Department of African and African American Studies.
He served as Chair of Stanford’s Department of English from 2021 to 2023.
He previously taught at New York University and the University of Toronto, where he was the inaugural Director of the Centre for Diaspora Studies.
Before moving to Toronto, he taught at the University of Cambridge for a decade.
His research and publications cover African literature, postcolonial studies, disability studies, urban studies and literary theory.
Prof. Quayson is a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada, and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy. He is also a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
22 Oct 2026
Reporter: Stephen Asante
Email: [email protected]
