Daniel Afedzi Akyeampong

On Sunday 21 December 2014, Akyeampong sustained an injury leading to surgery at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital . He was successfully treated and released on the 1 January 2015. He suffered a septic shock and was admitted once again to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Akyeampong died a month and a half later, on 7 March 2015, aged 76. He was survived by his wife, three children and nine grandchildren.

A member of the African Mathematical Union, he served as an assistant editor of its journal, Afrika Matematica. He was on the editorial board of a journal of the African Academy of Sciences, Discovery and Innovation. From 1993 to 1999 he served as a member of the executive board of the International Council for Science, Paris, France, where he was elected the body's vice president in 1996 and serving in that capacity until 1999. Due to his contributions to theoretical physics, symmetry groups in physics, and grand unified theories, he was also elected to the Mathematical Sciences Section of the World Academy of Sciences in 1991.

That same year, he was appointed Head of the Mathematics Department. He worked in this capacity until 1983 and two years later, his was reappointed to hold this office for three more years. In 1994, he was reappointed to this position for a third time and this time he served for five years. In 1982, while serving as the departmental chairman, he was promoted to the rank of full Professor of Mathematics - the first Ghanaian to achieve that distinction at the university. Prior to his second tenure as the mathematics departmental head, he served as the university's Pro-Vice Chancellor. This was during the period between his first and second appointment as Head of department.

Akyeampong married Charlotte Sally Newton on 11 April 1970. Together, they had two sons and one daughter.

In September 1966, Akyeampong returned to London and a month later, the University of London awarded him a doctorate in Mathematical Physics. His thesis was entitled, Applications of higher symmetry groups to particle physics. His secondary advisor was the University of London-based theoretical physicist, Paul Taunton Matthews. He was also awarded a Diploma of Imperial College(DIC) in Mathematical Physics in November 1966.

Akyeampong returned to Ghana and joined the University of Ghana's Department of Mathematics as lecturer in December 1966. While he was on the faculty, he became an Associate (1967–75) of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, from 1967 to 1975 and later a Senior Associate (1976–93). In 1972, he became a Senior Lecturer in 1972 and an associate professor in 1976.

In 1965, Akyeampong became one of the first Fellows of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste. About the vibrant scholarly culture at the Trieste institution, Akyeampong recounted:

Daniel Afedzi Akyeampong FGA (24 November 1938 – 7 March 2015) was a Ghanaian academic. He was the first Ghanaian to attain full professorship status in mathematics at the University of Ghana, Legon. In 1966, Daniel Akyeampong and Francis Allotey became the first Ghanaians to obtain a doctorate in mathematical sciences. He was the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana from 1983 to 1985.

Akyeampong was born on 24 November 1938 at Senya Beraku in the Gold Coast colony (now Ghana). He was the youngest child of his father, Peter Napoleon Akyeampong, and his mother, Charity Afful. He was a pupil at the Senya Beraku Local Council School in 1945 when he was six years old and completed in 1953. In 1954, he entered Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast for his secondary education and was a member of Balmer-Acquah House. Upon matriculating at Mfantsipim, his intellect became apparent after only a few weeks - he skipped his first year entirely and was quickly promoted to the second year. Akyeampong received prizes in Mathematics and Physical Sciences upon his graduation in 1959. The following year, he gained admission to study at the University of Ghana, where he was a resident of the all-male Commonwealth Hall. He graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. After his undergraduate studies, Akyeampong proceeded to the United Kingdom and enrolled at the University of London for his postgraduate research. He was admitted to Imperial College London in 1963 to complete the foundational diploma course in Mathematical Physics prior to his doctoral work. He later recalled the unexpected turns in his academic journey: