Professor Frances Thelma Kwabea Owusu-Daaku, a retired Professor of Social Pharmacy at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST) has been recognised for her contribution to pharmacy education, professional leadership, women’s empowerment and mentorship.

Prof. Owusu-Daaku received the Education Excellence (Mentorship Pillars) Award at the 1st GAAS Women’s Awards 2026, which celebrated women whose work and leadership have contributed to their professions and society.

The citation accompanying the award recognised her pioneering contribution to pharmacy education and Social Pharmacy, as well as her role in mentoring generations of professionals in academia, pharmacy and public health.

“Your commitment to mentorship has helped nurture a new generation of leaders, including senior women in academia, pharmacy and public health,” the citation stated.

It added that her career demonstrated how educational leadership could extend beyond personal achievement to creating opportunities for others to “learn, lead, advance and make meaningful contributions to society.”

Prof. Owusu-Daaku has spent 38 years of her working life at KNUST and, although retired, remains in active service at the University.

She obtained her PhD in Pharmaceutical Analysis but later transitioned into Social Pharmacy, becoming Ghana’s first Associate Professor of Social Pharmacy and the country’s first female Professor of Pharmacy.

Her career at KNUST has also included contributions to institutional development and the advancement of Social Pharmacy as an academic field.

Beyond the University, Prof. Owusu-Daaku has held several leadership positions within the pharmaceutical profession. She served as Vice-President of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association, Regional Coordinator of the Lady Pharmacists Association of Ghana (LAPAG), and Vice-President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) under two presidents.

She is a Foundation Fellow of the Ghana College of Pharmacists and a Fellow of both the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana and the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists.

Between July 2013 and June 2015, Prof. Owusu-Daaku took sabbatical leave from KNUST to serve as President of Christian Service University College in Kumasi.