Profile of the new GES Director-General Professor Ernest 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.
His appointment as Director-General of Ghana Education Service is an indication of the government’s commitment to leveraging his vast experience in educational research and administration to address challenges in the sector.
Professor Ernest Kofi Davis’s leadership is highly anticipated, with hopes of driving innovation and improving education standards across the country.