Prof. Francis Allotey dies

Prof. Francis Kofi Ampenyin Allotey, one of Ghana’s and Africa’s foremost mathematicians has died. According to the Facebook page of the Africa Institute for Mathematical Sciences – Ghana, (AIMS-Ghana), he died last night November 2, 2017 in Accra, Ghana. He was 85 years old.

Prof Allotey who was the President of AIMS-Ghana was educated at the Roman Catholic Elementary School, Saltpond; the Ghana National College, Cape Coast; the Tutorial College, London; Borough Polytechnic (now University of South Bank), London; Imperial College of Science and Technology, London and Princeton University in the United States.

He taught at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and rose through the ranks to become the first Ghanaian Full Professor in Mathematics and Head of the Department of Mathematics in 1973.
  
He held a number of positions such as Dean of the Faculty of Science, Founding Director of the Computer Science Centre in Ghana, Pro-Vice Chancellor and member of the KNUST University Council.
  
Prof Allotey has also held several other local and international appointments such as being appointed by the UN Secretary-General to be among a group of 12 international experts commissioned to advise the UN on Nuclear Weapon.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi