Joshua Alabi (born 1 March 1958) is a Ghanaian academic and politician, who served as the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) from 2012 to 2016. He previously served as the Rector of the same institution from 2009 to 2012 and Pro-Rector from 2005 to 2008. In Ghanaian politics, Alabi was the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for the Krowor Constituency in the Greater Accra from 1997 to 2001 and Minister of State for the Greater Accra and the Northern Regions respectively from 1997 to 2001.
Alabi is a member of the National Democratic Congress and led the party's reorganization in the Greater Accra region in 2001 after the party lost the 2000 elections to the opposition. After the reorganization, he became the first former Minister of the party to contest and won as the Regional Chairman of the NDC in the Greater Accra Region from 2001 to 2005.
Early life and education
A native of the Ga ethnic group from Nungua, Alabi was born was born on 1 March 1958 in Accra. His father was an auto mechanic and farmer and his mother was a trader. He had his primary and middle school education at the St. John's Preparatory School (now St. John's Grammar School) in Achimota, a suburb of Accra, from 1965 to 1971. He then proceeded to the Tamale Secondary School for his high school education where he obtained the Ordinary and Advanced-Level Certificates from 1971 to 1976.
Alabi completed his professional training in Accountancy and Marketing at the then Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) from 1976 to 1980. He later went to Europe for two master's degrees; one in Industrial Economics (MSc) from the Moscow Institute of National Economy, Plekhanov (now Russian Economics University) in 1986 and an MSc in International Marketing from Strathclyde University in Glasgow Scotland where he awarded the Mushod Abiola Prize for Excellence in Marketing in 1992.
He is an associate professor of marketing at the UPSA, a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Ghana, a Fellow of the Ghana Institute of Taxation and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana.
Academic career
After completing his professional training at the IPS, Alabi took up a teaching appointment at the Northern School of Business in Tamale from 1980 to 1981 before leaving for the Soviet Union to pursue his academic degrees. Prior to his appointment as Vice-Chancellor, Alabi spent over twenty years of his life as a Lecturer from 1987 to 2005. During the period he became the Head of the Marketing Department in 1989, to the Dean of the Management Faculty from 2003 to 2005. He was promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer by the university in 2001, and associate professor in 2008 by the university's Governing Council, after meeting the criteria for promotions set by the university's Appointments and Promotions Board. He got promoted to the position of Pro-Rector from 2005 to 2008, and to Rector from 2008 to 2012.
At the institutional level, Alabi has served on a number of Committees including: the Governing Council of the UPSA, the Statutes Committee, Finance Committee, Academic Board, Executive Committee, Planning and Resource Committee, and the Budget Committee. He has Chaired other Committees including, the Development Committee, Publications Committee, Research and Conference Committee and the Library Committee.
Political life
As a Member of Parliament
Alabi was elected by the people of the Krowor Constituency in the Greater Accra region on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as their Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2001. While in Parliament, Alabi also served as a member of the Business Committee of Parliament (1997 to 2001); and a member of the Parliamentary select Committee on Food and Agriculture (1997 to 2001).
As a Minister of State
He was appointed by the then President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings as the Greater Accra Regional Minister, he was subsequently moved to Northern Region to serve as Regional Minister and then again moved back to the Creater Accra Region, this happened between 1997 and 2001. He presided over the Regional Security Councils for the Greater Accra and Northern Regions respectively as chairman from 1997 to 2001.
When the NDC lost the 2000 elections, Alabi was appointed as the chairman for the Greater Accra Regional Reorganization Committee. Soon after, he got elected as the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NDC from 2001 to 2005. He also became the Campaign Coordinator for the Prof. John Atta Mills campaign in 2004.