Prof Ernest K. Davis replaces Eric Nkansah as GES Director-General
President John Dramani Mahama has appointed Professor Ernest Kofi Davis to serve as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in his third term of government.
Prof Kofi Davis, the Provost of the College of Education Studies at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), will replace Dr Eric Nkansah, whom President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appointed in his second term of government.
In a statement following the announcement, the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) expressed confidence in Professor Ernest Kofi Davis’s ability to lead the Service to greater heights.
“Professor Davis’s wealth of experience and dedication to education make him the ideal candidate to steer the Ghana Education Service toward achieving its goals,” the Ghana Education Service said.
The former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Eric Nkansah, also extended heartfelt congratulations to Professor Ernest Kofi Davis following his appointment as the new Director-General of the Service.
In a statement shared on his official Facebook page, Mr Nkansah expressed his best wishes for the incoming Director-General, stating, “I wish the new DG well in his new role. Let’s all support him to succeed.”
He added “On 19th October 2022, I had the privilege and honour of being appointed by H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the then President of the Republic of Ghana, as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
I want to especially thank former President, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the opportunity to serve in this capacity. Special thanks to the former Minister for Education, Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum for his leadership and guidance throughout this role.
I want to take this moment to express my deepest gratitude to our remarkable stakeholders (i.e., GES Council, management, staff, labour unions, students, parents, Development Partners, CSOs, the media and the public) who contributed to making this experience impactful and fulfilling.
Your commitment to ensuring the success of Ghana’s education system has been simply exceptional. I am immensely proud of what we accomplished together.
Though I leave my position today, my commitment to education remains unwavering. I look forward to contributing to Ghana’s educational advancement in other capacities.
I wish the new Director-General of the Ghana Education Service well in his new role. Let’s all support him to succeed. May we all continue to champion the cause of quality education for the benefit of every Ghanaian child.”
Profile of Prof Ernerst Kofi Davis
The newly appointed Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, started formal education at Self-Reliance Kindergarten in 1976 and continued at the Presbyterian Primary School in Abowinmu in 1978, and later to Aboom A.M.E. Zion School in 1981, all in Cape Coast.
After his primary education, he entered the then Experimental JHS, Bakatsir in Cape Coast in 1985 and completed it in 1987. Prof Davis gained admission to Mfantsipim School in 1987, where he obtained both his “O” and “A” level certificates in 1991 and 1993, respectively.
After his National Service in 1994, he gained admission to the University of Cape Coast in 1996 to pursue a B.Ed (Mathematics) and graduated in 1999.
He was appointed as a Senior Research Assistant in the then Department of Science and Mathematics Education in 2000.
Transferred to the Institute of Education in 2002, and was awarded a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) scholarship to study in Japan. Prof Ernest Pursued an MA (Mathematics Education) at the Hiroshima University in Japan between 2000 and 2004.
Upon his return from Japan in 2004, he was appointed a lecturer at the Institute of Education. In 2007, he was awarded two Australian government scholarships to pursue a PhD (Mathematics Education) programme at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, which he completed successfully in December 2010.
Through hard work, he was promoted to Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and Professor in 2010, 2015, and 2018, respectively. Professor Ernest Kofi Davis supervised 11 PhD and 25 MPhil theses.
Prof. Davis holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and a Master of Arts in Mathematics Education from Hiroshima University in Japan. He graduated from UCC in 1999 with a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) in Mathematics.
His academic journey has been marked by several prestigious accolades, including the Monash Graduate Scholarship (MGS) in 2007, the British Academy Visiting Scholar Award in 2011, and the Inter-Departmental Research Support Grant from UCC’s Directorate of Research and Innovation Consultancy (DRIC).
In addition to his academic achievements, Prof. Davis has served in leadership roles such as Vice-President of the Ghana Education Research Association (GERA-Ghana) in 2018. He is also a member of several professional bodies, including:
Ghana Mathematics Society
Mathematics Association of Ghana (MAG)
World Education Research Association (WERA)
University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG)
Southern African Association of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (SAARMSTE)
Prof. Davis officially became Provost of UCC’s College of Education Studies on August 1, 2022, with his tenure set for three years.
