The newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor Mohammed Muniru Iddrisu has pledged to pursue transparent governance, financial sustainability and infrastructure development to strengthen the University and enhance academic excellence.
He said his administration would make transparency routine, ensure that decisions were evidence-based, clarify responsibilities and manage resources prudently to build trust among staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders.
Professor Iddrisu made the pledge in his inaugural address after being sworn in as the sixth Vice-Chancellor of UDS at a ceremony held at the University in Tamale.
The investiture ceremony was attended by government officials, traditional authorities, religious leaders, staff, students, members of management and other stakeholders.
Professor Iddrisu said he accepted the office with profound humility and a clear understanding of its demands, stressing that leadership was not a private possession but a public trust, measured by lives improved, opportunities created and institutions strengthened.
He said the University would pursue financial growth through carefully managed income-generating activities while recognising that government funding remained vital to its operations and development.
He said UDS would broaden its resource base by mobilising alumni, development partners and other stakeholders for philanthropic support, while developing strategic ventures aligned with the University’s mandate.
Professor Iddrisu identified the construction and equipping of critical facilities, particularly in the Schools of Medicine and Engineering, as an immediate priority.
He said modern facilities and equipment were essential to improving teaching, practical training and research, and pledged to work with stakeholders to address infrastructure gaps across the University.
The Vice-Chancellor also pledged to strengthen academic excellence, student welfare, staff development, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, saying every member of the University community must have confidence in its systems and processes.
He said UDS must remain faithful to its founding mandate of connecting academic knowledge with the development realities of communities, particularly in addressing poverty, unemployment, climate change, food insecurity and public health challenges.
Accountable leadership
Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Abass Apaak urged the new Vice-Chancellor to provide ethical, inclusive, responsive and accountable leadership, while listening carefully to members of the University community.
Dr Apaak commended successive Vice-Chancellors and Governing Councils for laying the foundations upon which the University had grown.
He urged Professor Iddrisu to build on the achievements of his predecessors while introducing new ideas, noting that although continuity was important, institutions also required renewal to remain relevant.
He called for greater attention to student welfare, including accommodation, water supply, reliable learning facilities, counselling services and a supportive academic environment.
Dr Apaak also urged UDS to strengthen its Third Trimester Field Practical Programme, saying students should enter communities not merely to fulfil academic requirements but as learners, partners and problem-solvers exposed to real development challenges.
He said research produced by UDS must move beyond journals and conferences into public policy, district development plans, classrooms, health facilities and communities, where it could directly improve lives.
Profile of Prof. Iddrisu
Before his appointment as Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mohammed Muniru Iddrisu served as the Second Principal of the Nyankpala Campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS).
He began his basic education at St. Joseph Primary School in Tamale and later moved to Nuriya Arabic and English School, Tamale, where he pursued both secular and Islamic education.
After passing the Common Entrance Examination in 1986, he enrolled at Northern School of Business (NOBISCO), Tamale, for his secondary education. Driven by his ambition to pursue science, he was transferred to Ghana Secondary School, now Ghana Senior High School, Tamale, in 1987, where he obtained his General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level in 1991.
He proceeded to Fijai Secondary School, now Fijai Senior High School, in Sekondi, where he obtained his Advanced Level Certificate in 1993. He subsequently undertook his first National Service at Ziong E/A School as a classroom teacher during the 1993/1994 academic year.
Prior to his appointment as Principal of the Nyankpala Campus, Professor Iddrisu served as Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research and Chair of Convocation Leadership at the C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS), Navrongo.
At UDS, he has held several leadership positions, including Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Mathematical Sciences (2017–2020), Head of the Department of Mathematics (2016–2017), Faculty Coordinator of the Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP) (2014–2016), Department Quality Assurance Officer (2014–2016), Campus/Faculty Examinations Officer (2008–2011), Kintampo North District Coordinator of the University’s TTFPP (2006–2008), and Acting Head of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science (2007–2008).
Professor Iddrisu has served on several boards and committees of UDS and CKT-UTAS, including the Academic Board and Management Committee, Finance Committee, Development Committee, Budget Committee and Statutes Drafting Committee of CKT-UTAS.
He was also a member of committees that drafted the UDS Ethics Policy, the Standard Operating Procedures for Research Involving Humans and Other Living Organisms, and the UDS Strategic Plan for Workforce Development.
Academic Background
Professor Iddrisu obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics (Major) and Physics (Minor) from the University of Cape Coast between 1994 and 1998.
He subsequently earned an MSc in Mathematics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, between 2002 and 2004, under the Quota Programme Scholarship.
He obtained his PhD in Mathematics from the University for Development Studies, Tamale, between 2011 and 2015. During his doctoral studies, he also benefited from a French Government grant that supported a 12-month research stay at the Department of Mathematics, Laboratoire Angevin de Recherche en Mathématiques (LAREMA), University of Angers, France, during the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 academic periods.
Academic and Research Career
Professor Iddrisu joined UDS as a Lecturer in 2005. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2015, Associate Professor in 2019 and Professor of Mathematics in 2023.
An astute academic and researcher, Professor Iddrisu has authored more than 70 publications in refereed journals. He also serves as a reviewer for several local and international journals and was Deputy Editor of the Everyday Science for Schools Magazine of the Ghana Science Association from 2015 to 2023.
His research interests are in Mathematical Analysis, with particular focus on mathematical inequalities, special functions, coding theory and cryptography.
Professor Iddrisu has supervised 10 PhD theses and nine MPhil/MSc theses to completion, in addition to more than 75 undergraduate dissertations and project works.
He maintains cordial relationships with his students and colleagues. His consistent message to students has been to embrace the values of hard work, commitment, dedication and perseverance.
Professor Iddrisu has attended and presented papers at numerous local and international conferences. In 2022, he represented Ghana at the 10th Pan African Congress of Mathematicians (PACOM 2022) in Brazzaville, Congo, under a grant from the Government of the Republic of Congo through the African Mathematical Union.
Professional Engagement
Professor Iddrisu has served several institutions in Ghana in various professional capacities. These include the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the University of Cape Coast, the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Tamale Technical University, Bolgatanga Technical University and Tamale College of Education.
He has also participated in capacity-building training programmes for teachers of senior high schools in the Upper East Region, including Our Lady of Lourdes (OLL) Senior High School in Navrongo and Bongo Senior High School in Bongo.
He supports the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission as a team/panel member responsible for the accreditation of mathematics programmes in tertiary institutions across the country.
Professor Iddrisu is also the Founder and Proprietor of Idrees Smart Academy in Tamale.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Professor Iddrisu is a recipient of several awards and citations in recognition of his distinguished leadership and dedication to service.
He is a member of several professional bodies, including the Ghana Mathematics Society, Ghana Science Association, African Mathematical Union and Nigerian Association of Mathematical Physics. He has also served as a member of the management of the National Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Ghana.
Professor Iddrisu is married and has five children.
