The University of Ghana (UG) has reached a historic milestone with the promotion of Prof. Daniel Adu Ankrah from the rank of Associate Professor to the rank of Professor, making him the first and youngest Professor in Agricultural Extension since the Department of Agricultural Extension was established nearly 50 years ago in 1976. 

Prof. Ankrah, the current Head of Department, has risen through the academic ranks with unprecedented speed, completing the journey from Lecturer to Professor in just nine years—one of the fastest trajectories in the University’s history.

His achievement breaks long-held assumptions that professorial ranks are reserved for much older academics, especially within public universities in Ghana.

Prof. Ankrah’s love for Agriculture was not merely an academic choice; it was a passion which was evident in his childhood formative years where he showed a strong interest in gardening from St. Monica Preparatory School, North Kaneshie and Prince of Peace International School, Bubiashie, North Kaneshie. Prof. Ankrah was among the few who transitioned seamlessly from Benkum Senior High School in 1998 to the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in 2000 fueled by determination.

By 2004, he graduated with a Bachelor of  Science (BSc.) honours degree in Agriculture, seasoned, refined, and ready. His national service at the Council for  Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)- Animal Research Institute (ARI), Accra, and his role as an Agronomist under the President’s Special Initiative (PSI) on Oil Palm in Kade gave him his first taste of how  science transforms real lives.

But Prof. Ankrah was never one to stop at the finish line, because to him, every achievement was a doorway to another horizon. In 2006, he chose that next horizon: at Ghana’s premier university – the University of Ghana where he pursued an MPhil in Agricultural Administration, completing in 2008.

Soon after, he became a Principal Research Assistant (PRA) at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER)- UG, contributing to the evaluation of the high-profile Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) programme, a role reserved for only the finest minds.

Prof. Ankrah remembers his late father – Mr. Emmanuel Odame Ankrah, his mother who is currently alive – Madam Theresa Akyea and brother – Dr. Emmanuel Ankrah Odame always urging him to continue with further studies.

Inspired by this, in 2010, Prof. Ankrah crossed continents to the United Kingdom (UK) to pursue a PhD in International Rural Development at the University of Reading, a top-class university that ranks top in Agriculture in the UK and among the top 1% university in the world.

By day, he devoted himself to world-class research; by night, he worked as a social care professional supporting children with learning disabilities, proving that brilliance means little without humanity and empathy.

During his studies in the UK, he combined leadership with studies, where he served as President of Post-Graduate Students. His PhD research carried him to Turkey, Canada, France and the United States of America (USA), placing his voice and ideas on global platforms, an early sign of the scholar he was destined to become.

And he earned his PhD at only 34 years; a milestone fewer have the courage or discipline to attempt.

After a brief professional experience in the UK, Prof. Ankrah returned home in 2015 not because he had to, but because he believed Ghana deserved the very best of him and needed him most relative to the UK.

In September, 2016, he joined the Department of Agricultural Extension at the University of Ghana as a Lecturer at age 35.

Prof. Ankrah’s joining the Department of Agricultural Extension was facilitated by Prof. Seth Dankyi Boateng, Prof. Fred Mawunyo Dzanku and Dr. Cynthia Gadegbeku.

Within 5 years by dint of hard work and the determination that has always defined Prof. Ankrah, he rose to the rank of Senior Lecturer at age 40 in September, 2021, and by August 2022, he became Head of Department (HoD), the youngest HoD within the School of Agriculture, leading colleagues and senior academics with humility, excellence and the courage to innovate.

A position that he has held until now. By combining the heavy administrative role of HoD together with teaching, research and outreach, Prof. Ankrah rose to the rank of Associate Professor in September, 2023 at age 42 and finally to Professor in November, 2025 using approximately two (2) years each to rise from Senior Lecturer to Associate Professor and from Associate Professor to Professor.

Overall, Prof. Ankrah completes his entire academic career in 9 years, one of the fastest completion rates in an academic journey at the University of Ghana. He provides evidence to challenge the conventional wisdom that upholds the view that Professorship is reserved for the old with grey hair.

Indeed, the average age for most scholars in the School of Agriculture, UG in attaining feat of Professorship goes beyond 50 years.

Prof. Ankrah’s record in research shows publication of research articles in journals of high impact factors and repute. Prof. Ankrah is highly visible in credible databases such as Scopus and Web of  Science.

Beyond teaching and research, Prof. Ankrah has shaped the agricultural and rural development landscape through consultancy roles with the World Bank, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), AGRA, USAID, the European Union (EU), DANIDA, and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).

At the University of Ghana, Daniel has engaged in top class research projects where he together with colleagues have mobilized total grants with a nominal value of US$16,384,137 (US$16 million) with a UG component of US$1,977,170.54 towards research, graduate and post-doctoral training.

Prof. Ankrah has widely disseminated his research on global platforms in Ethiopia, United Kingdom (UK), Belgium, Thailand, Beijing- China and the Netherlands.

Prof. Ankrah is currently working as a Principal Investigator (PI) together with Prof. Akosua Darkwah on a four-year interdisciplinary, multi-country and innovative Observatory for Research and Practice on Food Systems and Social Reproduction with a total grant value of £412,105 British pounds Sterling.

The initiative aims to contribute to the just transition and leaving no one behind agenda in global food systems1-3 by i) providing action-oriented research on the inequities and injustices currently embedded in the way food is produced, distributed and consumed; ii) helping to design policies and interventions to increase food systems resilience to socio-economic and environmental shocks.