US-based journalist Kevin Taylor has made a claim that the Vice Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson, is likely to be chosen as the running mate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
In a post on his X timeline, the US-Ghanaian journalist stated, “Baring (sic) any last minute changes Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice Chancellor of KNUST is expected to be named running mate of Dr Bawumia.”
However, no official or unofficial communication has been made within the party regarding a final nominee.
It is worth noting that Prof. Akosua Dickson’s term as Vice Chancellor is set to end next month, and it remains uncertain whether the process for renewal has commenced.
Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson, who hails from the Ashanti Region, attended St. Monica’s Secondary school in Asante Mampong and is a member of a popular church in the Amakom branch.
According to her profile, Prof. Dickson obtained her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from KNUST in 1994 and later earned an MParm in pharmacognosy from the same institution in 1999. She received a Commonwealth Scholarship in 2003, which enabled her to pursue a PhD at Kings’ College London, University of London.
Prof. Dickson began her academic career as a lecturer at KNUST in 2000. After completing her studies in the UK, she returned to Ghana in 2007 and resumed lecturing at KNUST. She was promoted to a senior lecturer position in 2009 and further advanced to an associate professor role in 2014. Before her appointment as pro vice chancellor in 2018, she served as the dean of the faculty of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences.
As a phytochemist, Prof. Dickson’s research focuses on bioactive natural products in the management of communicable and non-communicable diseases. She is also a board member of the Pharmacy Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana.
On June 25, 2020, KNUST announced her appointment as the first woman Vice Chancellor of the University, effective from August 1, 2020, for a four-year term.
