Francis Allotey, founder member African Academy of Sciences

Allotey, Francis Kofi

Elected 1985

COUNTRY (NATIONALITY): Ghana

DISCIPLINE: Mathematical Sciences

BIOGRAPHY

Professor of Mathematical Physics. Educated at Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, UK and Princeton University USA, Qualifications: DIC, M.A. PhD.

Former: Dean of Science and Pro Vice Chancellor Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology; Chairman, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Chairman, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research; Governor, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna Austria; President, Mathematical Association of Ghana. Vice President, African Academy of Sciences; President, Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Currently: President, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences; Member, Scientific Council, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy; Member, International Advisory Council of Molecular Frontiers, Sweden; President, African Physical Society; Vice President, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.

Honours and Awards: Prince Philip Gold Medal for his work on Soft X-ray spectroscopy, African Mathematical Union Medal. World Bank/IMF African Club, Distinguished Scientist Award. Order of Volta Companion, Millennium Excellence Award, Hon. Fellow Institute of Physics (U.K), Fellow TWAS, Hon. Fellow, Ghana Institution of Engineers, Chartered Fellow, British Computer Society, Hon. D.Sc. (from six Universities).

He has organised and directed several workshops and conferences at national and international levels on Information and Communication Technology and Mathematical Sciences in various countries including the USA, Australia, Italy, United Kingdom, Frances, Sweden, South Africa, Senegal, Botswana, Kenya, Guyana, Cote d'Ivoire etc.

For example, he was Chairman of the Williamsburg Conference on International Information Economy in Virginia, USA in 1986; Chairman and Organiser of the Section on Computer Education in Developing Countries of the 1980 International Federation of Information Processing (lFIP) Congress in Melbourne. Australia; and Chairman of the panel discussion on the Financial and Quantitative Aspects of Computer Education at the IFIP Congress, Marseilles, France in 1975 and Member of International Panel on Requirements of developing countries regarding Informatics Education, Lausanne, Switzerland, 1981. Chairman: International Working Party for the Analysis of Economics and Commercial Impact of Transborder Data Flow, Roma, Italy; Vice President, United Nations Review conference on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Geneva (1975); Appointed by the Secretary-General of United Nations to be among a group of 12 international experts commissioned to advice United Nations in Nuclear Weapon, (1979).

He served as Chairman of the International UNESCO and IBI Conference on Informatics for Development, Chairman of "IFIP CONGRES80" section on Computer Education in developing countries (Australia).

He was the founder of the Ghana Energy Research Group (ERG) and has been its coordinator since 1985. He was Chairman of the Technical Committee, DANIDA/Ghana Government Strategic National Energy Plan 2000-2020.

He established the First Computer Science Department for Research, Training and Education at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. It was the first Computer Science Department in any university in Sub Saharan Africa. He established the Laser Research Centre in the Physics Department of the University of Cape Coast.

He was the first to introduce the theory of electron-hole scattering resonances effect on soft X-ray spectroscopy in metals. This effect has been observed experimentally.

To commemorate his contribution to science, the government of Ghana issued a postage stamp with his portrait in 2006.

Last Updated March 2022