When in 1999, a young, unassuming boy who had lived almost all his life in parts of Ashanti and Greater Accra Region, embarked on his first ever journey to the northern part of the country, little did he know that, that “one small step for a man” would become “one giant leap for the academia”.

That young boy, has now matured into an excellent academic, and come Friday, August 26, 2022, the University for Development Studies, UDS will, for the 13th time witness an Inaugural Lecture. This inaugural lecture promises to be one of those auspicious occasions for the University to acknowledge the promotion of a full professor, and introduce him to the academic and non-academic community of the University, and to provide an opportunity for engagement with the greater community. This time, the man whose formative years, saw him live and school in different parts of Ghana, and who eventually has become one of Ghana’s leading meat scientists, will be the point of focus. His name is Professor Frederick Adzitey. 

The University Relations Office caught up with him and first enquired about his childhood. He said he started his nursery education in Accra and later moved to Obuasi in the Ashanti region of Ghana where he remained to complete his Junior High School education and later proceeded to the Awudome Senior Secondary School at Tsito in the Volta Region of Ghana for his Senior High School education.

In pursuit of his dreams, Professor Adzitey recounted how he left the comfort of his home in Kumasi and defied appeals from some members of his family, and embarked on the longest journey of his life at the time, to the northern region of Ghana. According him, this was the longest journey he had ever embarked upon in his life at the time, to the northern region of Ghana. So long was the journey for him, that at every turn, and as they drove pass every town or village, he would turn to the passenger seated next to him and enquire “are we there yet?”

His first steps in the Northern region, led him to Pong Tamale, where he had been scheduled for an interview for admission to the Pong Tamale Veterinary College. As the only son of his parents, he recounted how his sisters advised him not to accept admission to any school in the Northern Region because at the time, the news media were awash with negative reports of conflicts. 

He says, contrary to the news reports, and the subsequent fears expressed by his sisters, he found the Northern Region rather peaceful and conducive for his aspirations and academic life.

Continuing with the story, he narrated how he left the Pong Tamale Veterinary College to study for a Degree at the University for Development Studies.  His decision to move to UDS was based on the fact that UDS was the best institution in the country that teaches Agricultural related courses.

Originally, Professor Adzitey had applied to UDS to study Human Biology but as fate would have it, he was offered admission to study Agricultural Science. This he said, was God’s purpose for him due to his background in Agriculture from secondary school.

After his Bachelor’s Degree at the University for Development Studies, he was posted to have his national service at the Women’s Development Project, an NGO based in the Nkwanta District. His hopes of working with a Non-Governmental Organization and the potential of earning a huge salary, was however, dashed when Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye who had just returned to Ghana, with a PhD from the University of Bristol advised him to stay at UDS for his National Service. He recounted how difficult it was for him in taking the decision to stay at UDS for his National Service. He however, heeded the call of Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye and stayed. This decision, he said, was because he had obtained first-class and the faculty needed good students to stay back and help.

Soon after his National Service, the then Mr. Adzitey had a scholarship to Pursue his Master’s Degree at the University of Bristol. This, he said was achieved through the guidance of Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye who is an alumnus. He said after returning with a Master’s Degree, he had to wait for almost a year before being promoted to the rank of Assistant Lecturer. The delay in getting his promotion, challenged him to start the process of pursuing a PhD at the University of Sains Malaysia.

Professor Frederick Adzitey narrated the sharp contrast of his training and studies in Malaysia to that of the University of Bristol in UK. “In Malaysia unlike the UK, you have to publish to meet your key performance index (KPIs) since that is the only means of continuing your fellowship”. “I needed to increase my KPIs and that of my co-supervisor. So, I started to write and publish with the support of my co-supervisor”, he added.  According to Professor Adzitey, his PhD training at the University of Sains actually prepared him to carry out research and laboratory works with little resources especially, after returning to the country where resources are not readily available. This, he said, has actually groomed him to do things on his own. According to Professor Adzitey, determination, hard work, time consciousness and discipline made him rise so fast to his current position at such a relatively young age.

To him, being promoted to the rank of full Professor at this stage, is only an indication that his journey into academia has just begun because he is now poised, more than ever before, to contribute even more to the development of the country and to UDS in particular.

Already, Professor Adzitey has carved a niche for himself when it comes to meat safety in the country. He however, intends to focus on the safety of bush meat, by doing extensive research in that field as well.

The young Professor Adzitey sees this milestone achievement as an opportunity to bridge the gap between the academia and industry by training more students at the Undergraduate, Post-graduate and the PhD levels, who would contribute meaningfully to solving practical complex problem in the field of  animal science, food processing and meat science, including meat safety. To, him academic research should not be left on shelves to collect dust, but be implemented by policy makers and industry players. This he said, would help solve most problems confronting the country. He says the nexus between academia and industry cannot be overemphasized, a reason that accounts for his occasional visits to slaughter houses and veterinary personnel to gain hands-on information and data that would help the industry.

Professor Frederick Adzitey has received grants and travelled extensively to attend international conferences, training workshops as well as to make presentations at technical conferences.

When he is not focused on academic work and research, the new Professor likes to pay attention to his wife and children. As a devout Christian, he also devotes a chunk of his time to the service of God. No wonder therefore, that he is the patron of the Pentecostal Students and Associates on UDS-Nyankpala Campus.

At home, the Professor helps to do some of the chores such as weeding, spraying, sweeping, and cleaning.

He says, all are invited to his Inaugural Lecture on Friday 26th August, 2022 at the Andani Andan Academic Chamber at the Central Administration block, Tamale-Campus at 2pm, on the topic, “Sustainable Meat Safety in the 21st Century: Our Responsibility”.

Story by: Sumaila Mohammed (University Relations)