The first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Professor Joshua Alabi has described the honorary doctorate conferred on him by his alma mater as a testament of faith, resilience and transformation.
Speaking at UPSA’s graduation ceremony on Thursday, December 4, 2025, where the university bestowed the honour on him, Prof. Alabi expressed deep humility and gratitude, noting that the recognition from the institution he served as student, lecturer, and leader was a celebration of shared journeys and achievements.
“This recognition is not merely an award; it symbolizes a collective story of faith, resilience, and transformation,” he told the gathering.
Prof. Alabi traced his long association with UPSA, beginning as a student at the then Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) in September 1976. He recalled that despite challenges, including a one-year closure following student demonstrations in 1978, he returned with determination after studies in the former Soviet Union and later at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.
He rejoined IPS as a lecturer in 1987, rising through the ranks to Assistant Lecturer, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Head of Marketing, Dean of Management, Pro-Rector, Rector, and eventually the inaugural Vice-Chancellor of UPSA.
As Rector, Prof. Alabi spearheaded major reforms, emphasising that transformation starts with people rather than infrastructure. He listed some of his key initiatives including introducing evening and weekend schools to expand access and generate revenue, implementing stable fee policies to end annual protests, securing the Presidential Charter for degree-awarding autonomy, and rebranding IPS to UPSA for greater visibility.
He also addressed human resource challenges by facilitating doctoral programmes, personally engaging regulators to lift recruitment freezes, resulting in many lecturers becoming department heads, vice-chancellors, and advisors.
“Transformation begins with vision, but it is achieved through people,” he stressed.
The former Vice-Chancellor praised staff and students for embracing the vision, with voluntary contributions towards hostels and no strikes during national industrial actions.
Prof. Alabi highlighted leadership principles that guided his service including rechanneling resistance positively, building solid systems that demand excellence from successors, and rewarding hard work through simple acknowledgements.
He expressed appreciation to the current UPSA administration for recognising past contributions, noting it strengthens institutional memory.
Concluding, he urged young people to start where they are, use what they have, and give their best, emphasising that vision must meet integrity, hard work teamwork, and success gratitude.
“The true measure of leadership is how deeply we serve. The true measure of transformation is the lives we touch. The true measure of success is the legacy we leave. As I drive past this university, my satisfaction is not only in its development but also in the thousands of jobs created around it through the transformation we pursued. As a nation, if we recognize performers regardless of political affiliation, Ghana will have many role models for the youth. We should not wait for our party to be in power before celebrating excellence.
“Let us continue to build a university and a nation rooted in excellence, integrity, and service. May UPSA remain a beacon of professionalism, innovation, and ethical leadership,” he urged the UPSA community.
“Thank you to God, my family, colleagues, students, alumni, and this great university for allowing me to contribute to its story,” he added.
Prof. Alabi, a consummate educationist, former Member of Parliament and Minister of State, has previously received awards including CIMG Marketing Man of the Year, AASU Best Vice-Chancellor, IMANI Ghana’s Most Influential Public Sector Leader, and the Order of the Volta for his contributions to education.