Ghana has produced many scientists and mathematical geniuses who have made a significant impact not only in Ghana but also globally.
A key Ghanaian figure in the fields of Mathematics and Physics was Francis Kofi Ampenyin Allotey, a Ghanaian mathematician who was notably mentored by other global greats in the field, such as Robert Oppenheimer.
In 1932, Francis Allotey was born in Saltpond in the Central Region of Ghana to a dressmaker and a merchant. Growing up, Allotey developed an early interest in science, leading him to pursue his secondary education at Ghana National College as one of the pioneers in 1952.
He furthered his studies at the University Tutorial College, London Borough Polytechnic, and Imperial College London, where he obtained a Diploma of Imperial College in 1960. That same year, he returned to Ghana and became a lecturer at the Department of Mathematics at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He was subsequently awarded a Master’s and Doctorate degree from Princeton in 1966, making him the first Ghanaian to earn a PhD in Mathematics.
It was during his PhD studies at Princeton that Allotey was mentored by the ‘father of the atomic bomb’, American theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer is best known for his research and design of the atomic bomb during his time as the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II. Allotey was also mentored by famous mathematicians such as Robert Dicke, Abdus Salam, and Val Fitch, among many others.
The Ghanaian prodigy was best known for formulating the ‘Allotey Formalism’, which arose from his work on soft X-ray spectroscopy. His work earned him the UK Prince Philip Golden Award in 1973. The following year, he became the first Ghanaian full professor of Mathematics and the Head of the Department of Mathematics at KNUST.
Allotey was also the first to introduce computer education in Ghana when he became the founding director of the KNUST Computer Centre before assuming the position of Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university.
With his genius revered in the global science field, Prof. Allotey became the President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences whilst also being a member of many reputable international scientific organisations, such as the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics Scientific Council.
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At the age of 85, he breathed his last in 2017. He was given a state burial in honour of his remarkable work and influence in Ghana’s scientific field. He left behind a widow, four children, and twenty gr
