Dr Kingsley Nyarko is new Executive Director of Danquah Institute
The Danquah Institute (DI) has appointed Dr Kingsley Nyarko, a senior lecturer at the Psychology Department of the University of Ghana, as its new Executive Director, effective July 1, 2017.
He takes over from Nana Attobrah Quaicoe, and he is to engage in cutting edge research and other activities that will benefit the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition as well as identify and groom future leaders.
His appointment letter dated June 28, 2017 and signed by Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Acting Chair of the Governing Board said: “You will be required to promote the institute by providing effective leadership, promote the ideology of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition, engage in cutting edge research and other activities that will benefit the tradition and nation, identify and groom talents for future leadership roles, inter alia.”
DI was established in 2008 named after Dr. Joseph Boakye Danquah, one of Ghana’s founding fathers who established Ghana’s first political party, the United Gold Coast Convention, in 1947.
Individual freedoms is at the heart of the institute’s philosophy and it seeks to make a constructive contribution to nation-building and development, with the purpose of enhancing the life of every individual citizen through advocacies, research, lectures, seminars and other forums as may be applicable.
Dr Nyarko, who has won a lot of rewards, including the best researcher at the University of Ghana in 2014/15 is to aim at intensifying DI's role as a training center for future leaders, especially in the Danquah-Dombo-Busia ideology.
He is an adjunct of the Centre for Ageing Studies, and the Foundation Head of the Department of Teacher Education, School of Education and Leadership of the University of Ghana.
He obtained his Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Cape-Coast, and both his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.) degrees in Psychology and Educational Psychology respectively from the University of Munich, Germany.
He has worked in internationally reputable organisations and serves on several boards and committees in the academia and corporate world.
He is also an external examiner of the Department of Educational Foundations - University of Cape Coast, internal examiner (Masters and Ph. D) at the University of Ghana, and a former visiting lecturer of GIMPA Business School and the University of Education (Kumasi campus).
Dr. Nyarko has published several scientific papers in Educational and Organizational Psychology, and other Psychology related applied fields in both local and international peer-reviewed journals, as well as feature articles and comments on several media platforms.
He has attended and presented research papers at international conferences, workshops, seminars, and special lectures.
He was instrumental in the revival of the Ghana Psychological Association (GPA) in 2011, and chaired the association’s conference organizing committee between 2012 and 2016.
He was part of the team that developed the In-Class observation tool for assessing lecturers’ performance, and improving teaching and learning at the University of Ghana. In addition, he helps in training faculty about the effective use of the instrument.
Dr. Nyarko was part of the team of educationists that has developed a proposal to train newly appointed and existing faculty about effective teaching and learning methods aimed at enhancing teaching and learning at the University.
Dr. Nyarko has won several awards, including the best researcher at the School of Social Sciences, University of Ghana during the 2014/15 academic year.
In 2016, he won a research grant from the Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID), University of Ghana, to lead a team of researchers to investigate the relationship between English reading proficiency and academic performance among lower primary school pupils.
He teaches several courses in Psychology, but specializes in Educational and Industrial/Organizational Psychology, as well as Education at the School of Education and Leadership.
He offers consultancy services to educational institutions in fostering educational effectiveness and excellence.
Until recently, Dr. Nyarko was the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Psychological Association (GPA); he is a founding member of the Pan African Psychology Union (PAPU).
He is also a social/political analyst and features on most radio and television programs within and without the borders of Ghana.
He has as well mentored several youth both within and without academia, most of whom are holding responsible positions in the country while others are pursuing graduate and doctoral studies in universities across the globe.