Professor Joshua Ayarkwa, the former Provost of the College of Art and Built Environment of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has been appointed as a member of the Governing Body of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC). He was appointed as infrastructure and physical development expert on the Commission.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson commended the contributions and role Professor Ayarkwa has played so far. She remarked that he has made great contributions to the nation's progress throughout the years. As a result, Management was not surprised by the President's appointment to this National Body. The Vice-Chancellor was convinced that he would contribute his extensive knowledge and experience to the Commission's work.
The Commission, established by an Act of Parliament 479 advises the President on development planning policy and strategy. They also study and make strategic analyses of macro-economic and structural reform options, prepare broad national development plans, and make proposals for the development of multi-year rolling plans and the protection of the natural and physical environment with a view to ensuring that development strategies and programs are in conformity with sound environmental principles, among others.
Professor Ayarkwa has served as a Visiting Professor of the Linnaeus University of Sweden, the Deputy Director of the Institute of Distance Learning (IDL) of KNUST, Kumasi, Head of Building Technology Department. He has also been the Dean and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Building Technology of the College of Architecture and Planning.
In August 1985, he graduated from the KNUST with a BSc degree in Building Technology and undertook a Postgraduate Certificate Programme in Wood Technology/Wood Research in Germany under German Foundation for International Development (DSE) Scholarship in 1991. Subsequently, he was re-admitted into his alma mater for an MPhil Degree in Wood Science in 1992 and enrolled at Nagoya University in Japan for a PhD degree in Timber Engineering on Japanese Monbusho Scholarship, which he completed in 2001.
Professor Joshua Ayarkwa is a professional Scientist and a specialized scholar in the fields of Construction Technology Management and Timber Engineering. He also worked at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in various positions and capacities including serving as a Senior Research Scientist at the Timber Engineering and Mechanical Processing Division of the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG).
He has had good standing membership to some commissioned Committees in the KNUST including, Member of the KNUST Governing Council, Member of the Executive Committee, Member of the Academic Board, Member of Management Board of IDL, Member of Management Board of the School of Graduate Studies, and Chairman of the College Board of College of Art and Built Environment, and Chairman of the Public Lectures Committee. He has been a member of the Editorial Board of the KNUST Journal (JUST) and many international and local Journals and has served as a Reviewer for many Journals. His academic excellence has earned him recognition among his peers in the University Community and beyond. It is this background, among others, that distinguishes him as an External Examiner, Moderator, Reviewer, and Assessor for Universities and Polytechnics in Ghana, and for the National Accreditation Board as Chairman of Accreditation Teams.
As a contemporary Researcher, he has conducted extensive research, published over 300 articles, mentored many upcoming lecturers/researchers, and supervised over 400 BSc, MSc, MPhil, and PhD students. He has a proven record and capacity to generate funds and attract grants, having generated huge IGF into the KNUST at the Department of Building Technology and at IDL, and research grants previously into the CSIR. Apart from academic work, he is also equally committed to socio-economic development, having served as District Chief Executive. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Governors for Sekyedumasi Senior High School, Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of TIPA Memorial Education Foundation, and immediate past Chairman of the Sekyedumasi Rural Bank Ltd.