Rev. Fr. Prof. A. Afful-Broni
Early Life and Education
Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni was born on Wednesday, November 23, 1960 at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Hospital at Assin Foso in the Central Region of Ghana to Madam Mary Celestina Addae and Opanin John Yaw Broni of blessed memory. He spent his formative years at Assin Asempanaye. Coming from a large family of twenty-six siblings, young Afful-Broni had no option but to excel academically in order to attract the competitive attention of his parents.
Prof. Aff ul-Broni was enrolled at the Assin Asempanaye Roman Catholic School for both his Primary and Middle School education, where he passed with Distinction at the Middle School Leaving Certifi cate Examination. From very early years of his life, he felt the Call to the priestly ministry and offered himself as a servant of God through the rigorous Seminary training and the practice of his Catholic faith in those formative years. With this burning desire to walk more closely with the Lord, he proceeded to St. Teresa’s Minor Seminary, Amisano near Elmina, for both his G.C.E Ordinary and Advanced Levels of education. Considering the fact that it was his late father who led a group of friends and family to establish the Catholic Church in Asempanaye, single-handedly financing the building of the local Catholic Church, the Rectory, and the Catholic Basic School, it was not surprising to many when young Anthony expressed the desire to pursue the Priestly vocation. He and a few of his colleagues had often joined the Dutch missionaries on pastoral trekking to villages such as Assin Akyeano, Breman, Kushea, Hwidiem, to assist in evangelization.
Anthony continued his priestly formation at the St Peter’s Regional Major Seminary, Pedu, Cape Coast in 1982. While at Pedu, he and a few of his classmates were offered the opportunity to pursue studies with the University of Ghana, Legon, obtaining a Diploma in Sacred Theology in 1986. His walk with God into the ministerial priesthood was looked upon favourably, and in July 1988, he was ordained a Catholic Priest at the St Francis de Sales Cathedral in Cape Coast by the Late Most Reverend John Kodwo Amissah, JCD. It is worth noting that, of the 45 students that had enrolled at the Seminary in September 1975, he was among the nine students who eventually graduated 13 years down the line. The grace of God, his passion for the priesthood, perseverance, self-discipline, diligence and hard work accounted for this great feat. While at the Minor Seminary, he was elected the Entertainment Prefect and left a memorable legacy after organizing the momentous ‘Bob Marley Night’ when the legend passed. It was also not surprising that in his final (Deaconate) year in the major seminary, he was elected the SRC President, performing very admirably with the collaboration of his colleague seminarians and the priest formators.
Between 1988 and 1989, the newly ordained Rev. Fr. Afful-Broni worked as a tutor and Chaplain at the Archbishop Porter Girls’ Polytechnic and St. Mary’s Vocational Centre in Elmina. After that academic year, he was transferred to become tutor and resident Chaplain at Holy Child School,
Cape Coast, from 1989 to 1992. He was the first African to be offered that appointment, and he left very impressive landmarks at Holy Child. No wonder, most of his students of nearly 30 years are still in close ties with him, supporting his ministry and mentoring many more young women of today. In August 1992, Father Afful-Broni entered the prestigious Fordham University, the Jesuit Higher Education institution in New York, to pursue a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Counselling and completed in 1994 and subsequently, for his doctoral degree. In May 1999, he graduated with a PhD in Educational Administration and Management from the same University.
Prof. Afful-Broni is gifted with the ability to multi-task, enabling him to handle more complex responsibilities at the same time. This became particularly evident in the varying number of tasks that engaged his attention while a doctoral student at Fordham University. Although a Graduate Assistant at Fordham, he also doubled as an Associate Pastor at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Cortlandt Manor, New York, where he lived. At the Parish, he was an unofficial Patron of the Music Ministry; he was in charge of Youth programmes and spent a good amount of time at the Bronx Leadership Academy High School where as participant observer, also collected data for his PhD thesis. Earlier on, Father Afful-Broni had served for a year as Associate Pastor at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church in Bronx, New York, USA.
Having completed his Postgraduate Studies at Fordham, he returned home only a few weeks later, and was immediately posted by his Archbishop to St Stephen’s Catholic Parish at Dunkwa-on-Offin as Associate Pastor. He was in charge of 45 outstations, spending almost all his time out there, and hardly returning to the main parish. He endeared himself to the people in the communities, and engaged in rigorous health education programmes. He would often liaise with Dr. Mark Nawane and his team of health professionals to come to the villages and run seminars, workshops and training for the people free of charge. He was known as the ambulance driver in the area, since he was often found driving at top speed to bring women in labour or the seriously ill to the hospital in Dunkwa-on-Offin.
Academic Career and Leadership Positions
Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni began his tertiary career at the University of Education, Winneba, as a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology and Education as well as Research Fellow at the Centre for Educational Policy Studies in 2000. He rose through the ranks to become a Senior Lecturer in 2005, Associate Professor in 2012 and a Full Professor in 2014. He was the Head of the Department of Psychology and Education from 2004 to 2008, the Director, Centre for Educational Policy Studies, from 2008 to 2009 and the Dean, Faculty of Educational Studies from 2009-2014, during which period he chaired and served on a number of local, national and international Committees and Boards.
Fr. Afful-Broni became the University Chaplain from 2006 to 2009. As an ordained Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast for 30 years, Fr. Afful-Broni serves on many local and international boards. He is immediate past President of the Priests Senate, past Chairman of the Education Committee of the Archbishop, and Member of the College of Consultors for the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast.
He was elected the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University for two consecutive terms from March, 2014 to February, 2016 for the fi rst term, and March 2016 to February, 2018 for the second term. During his tenure as the Pro-Vice Chancellor, he was given additional responsibility to serve as the Acting Principal, College of Languages Education, Ajumako between 2014 and 2015. In July 2017, he was appointed by the Governing Council of the University to serve as the Acting Vice- Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba. He diligently and effectively discharged the responsibility that came with the acting position until the end of his tenure as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor in February, 2018.
As Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni was granted the opportunity to pursue a Certificate programme in Management of Higher Education Institutes in 2014 from the Galilee International Management Institute, Israel. He returned with his colleagues and proposed some very brilliant projects which are being pursued to enhance the University’s internationalization process.
In February, 2018, and almost at the end of his tenure as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University, the Governing Council of the University, having noted with great satisfaction the effective management of the University he led during the period 14th July, 2017 to 22nd February, 2018, appointed him as the Acting Vice-Chancellor in his own right and capacity as the most senior and experienced Professor in the University.
Publications and Editorial Positions
Professor Afful-Broni has published widely and has over 50 publications comprising ten books, and over forty articles in reputable peer-reviewed academic journals. Since December 2000, he has supervised several Doctor of Philosophy theses, over 48 Masters dissertations, and numerous undergraduate projects. He is also an External Assessor for the University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, the Catholic University, Fiapre, Sunyani and the Teacher Training Department of Jackson Educational Complex, Kumasi.
Professor Afful-Broni has edited more than 137 published articles most of which have appeared in the International Journal of Educational Leadership on which he serves as the Editor-in-Chief. He was also, for over a dozen years, Consultant to the Academic Quality Assurance Unit of the University of Ghana, Legon. He continues to lead a team of Facilitators that runs capacity building workshops for staff and faculty in local and international universities on topics such as Time Management and Staff Development and Leadership. As an astute academic, he has presented a number of papers at several local and international seminars and conferences.
Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni is a member of several professional bodies and associations including: Kappa Delta Pi, Fordham University
Chapter; the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), USA; National Union of Ghana Catholic Diocesan Priests (NUGDPA); and, the Ghana Catholic Archdiocesan Priests Association, Cape Coast. He is also a Founding Member of the Africa Deans of Education Forum (ADEF), Nairobi Kenya.
Awards and Recognitions
Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni has won several national and international awards. As a promising and distinguished African student, he won the Jesuit Scholarship for Missionaries to support his Masters and Doctoral studies at Fordham University which afforded him the privilege of working in the Office of the Chair, Division of Administration, Policy and Urban Education (A.P.U.E.).
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development of education in the Assin North Municipality, he was among 9 awardees recognised by the Municipality, led by the Honourable Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central Constituency as part of Ghana’s Golden Jubilee Celebration. In the year 2002, he was awarded for his distinguished leadership by St. Margaret Mary Church, Bronx, New York at a special ceremony in New York for his participation in the founding of the Ghanaian Catholic Community in New York City.
Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni was also very instrumental in the establishment of several centres and offices geared towards the welfare of the various communities where he was affiliated or where his advisory and counselling services were needed. Notable among them were: the successful facilitation of fund raising activities to build a multi-purpose community library, a two-classroom kindergarten and the establishment of a Scholarship Scheme for the Assin Atandansu Omanhene’s Education Fund; the Renovation of Children’s Library and Community Centre, Asempanaye which after almost 20 years of usage, needed an upgrade and has since been refurbished at an estimated cost of $10,000.00; the establishment of the Department of Early Childhood Care and Development Education, which creation was done during his tenure as the
Head of Department in the year 2005; the construction of a 1500 Capacity Church Auditorium/Offices Complex and a Marian Grotto at the North campus of the University of Education, Winneba. While the Church facility is sometimes used for community educational and professional seminars and workshop, the Marian Grotto offers solace for retreat and counselling for all. As an experienced academic, Father Afful-Broni was also a member of a committee of five tasked by the UEW Branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana, (UTAG) to study the document of the Ministry of Education’s Policies and Strategic Plans for the Education Sector, and to help make recommendations for policy implementation. He also served on the Search Party that appointed the former Finance Officer.
Personal Qualities
Rev. Fr. Professor Anthony Afful-Broni’s benevolence is beyond measure. He has supported hundreds of brilliant but needy students and continues to support tens and hundreds of such individuals at various levels of education, without preference to their religious, ethnic, political or philosophical persuasions. He is an excellent public speaker, and exhibits a very high level of eloquence in his delivery which is touching and inspiring. Not only is he very disciplined; but he is a well-known strict disciplinarian. He exudes a lot of confidence and is a believer in healthy competition for himself, his colleagues and his students. He is very hard working; no wonder his colleague lecturers and student leaders refer to him as a workaholic. He is, in short, a great asset to the many communities in which he belongs or serves.
