Mr. Solomon Dzigbordi Akrong is the Acting Director of Human Resource at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, effective August 1, 2023. He was a foundation staff of the University in 2012 and has since provided continuous service to the development and growth of the University. He is an educational administrator with twenty-five-years’ work experience in the sector, and has played leadership and management roles in university administration over the past nineteen years.
Education
Mr. Akrong obtained a B.A. in economics and geography in 1997 and an M.A. in archival studies, both from the University of Ghana, Legon. He is currently pursuing the professional programme of the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management (CIHRM), Ghana.
Work Experience (UHAS)
Prior to this appointment, Mr. Akrong was Head of Administration for the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health (FNBSPH) located on the Hohoe Campus of UHAS. He played a very active role in providing administrative direction during the re-naming of the School of Public Health after the renowned, global clinical epidemiologist, Professor Fred Newton Binka. He prioritized the strengthening of the school’s administrative processes and procedures with special interest in administrative job descriptions, filing systems, among others. He also served as Secretary to various committees including the Appointments and Promotions Review Committee of the School. He guides and leads the teams for admissions and examinations to exhibit high standards of integrity and conduct in support of the UHAS goal of becoming an excellent training centre for health professionals.
Before taking up the position of Head of Administration of the FNBSPH he served UHAS in various capacities such as first Head of Academics from October 2012 to June 2013; first Head of Student Affairs from June 2013 to July 2014; and Head of General Administration from August 2014 to September 2021. He served as Chairman of the Board of Survey, and Junior and Senior Staff Disciplinary Committees. He also served as Secretary to the Housing Committee, and the Entity Tender Committee, among others.
Other Experience
Mr. Akrong begun his administrative career at the Armed Forces Secondary Technical School in 1998 as the school’s Senior Administrative Officer and later served at the headquarters of the Ghana Education Service as Deputy Head of Personnel Registry. He played various key roles including the re-structuring of the department, and served as a training facilitator for the Service in Records and Archives Management, administrative management and office procedures. He participated in a number of training programmes for District, Regional, and Human Resource directors. His role as a training officer took him to various parts of the country to participate in capacity building programmes for non-teaching personnel of the Ghana Education Service.
By dint of hard work, he was re-designated as the Head of Records for the Ghana Education Service in January 2004 and, at the same time, appointed Assistant Registrar at the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) currently known as the University of Professional Studies (UPSA, where he supported the introduction and implementation of the long awaiting degree programmes and served as the first liaison Officer for accreditation and affiliation matters for the Institute. He designed, implemented and conducted the first Mature entrance examination during the start of the degree programme in 2005.
He served in various capacities on committees, including as secretary to the Professional Advisory Committee; contributed immensely in the compilation of the first student handbook of the Institute; and served in many capacities such as Assistant Registrar in-charge of Records, Academic, Admissions and Students Records Management, and Teaching and Learning.
Mr. Akrong has a passion for new designs and development of institutions and this makes him a starter in most institutions he worked. He became a foundation staff and the first Senior Assistant Registrar in-charge of General Administration and Academic Affairs of the University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies, Bunso in September 2011, where he handled all HR and academic activities, and also doubled as the hostel’s manager.
His research interest is in records management, archives administration, human resource management and enrolment management.