Francis Allotey

Francis Kofi Ampenyin Allotey (9 August 1932 – 2 November 2017 ) was a Ghanaian mathematical physicist. Together with Daniel Afedzi Akyeampong, he became the first Ghanaian to obtain a doctorate in mathematical sciences, earned in 1966.

Early life and education Allotey was born on 9 August 1932 in the Fante town of Saltpond in the Central Region of Ghana to Joseph Kofi Allotey, a general commodities merchant and Alice Esi Nyena Allotey, a dressmaker from the Royal Dehyena family of Enyan Owomase and Ekumfi Edumafa, in the Central Region of Ghana. His father owned a bookstore. He held master's and doctorate degrees from Princeton University, awarded in 1966 and earlier the Diploma of Imperial College, obtained in 1960. He was tutored by the Pakistani Nobel prize-winning physicist Abdus Salam as an undergraduate at Imperial College. During his time at Princeton, Allotey was mentored by many physicists such as Robert Dicke, Val Fitch, Robert Oppenheimer, Paul A. M. Dirac and C. N. Yang. in 1974, he became the first Ghanaian full professor of mathematics and head of the Department of Mathematics and later Dean of the Faculty of Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He was also the founding director of the KNUST Computer Centre before he assumed his position as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university. Taylor had received his DPhil (1967) from Oxford under the Welsh mathematical physicist, John Trevor Lewis, having also received an MA there many years before. The institute provides master's degrees in Business Administration and Software Engineering and doctoral programmes in Information Technology and Philosophy. The Government of Ghana awarded him the Millennium Excellence Award in 2005, and dedicated a postage stamp in his honour. In 2009 he received the Order of the Volta and was posthumously awarded the Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah African Genius Award in 2017. He helped establish the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Ghana in 2012.

Personal life Allotey first married Edoris Enid Chandler from Barbados, whom he met while they were both studying in London. They had two children, Francis Kojo Enu Allotey and Joseph Kobina Nyansa Allotey. Chandler died in November 1981. He then remarried to Ruby Asie Mirekuwa Akuamoah. Together they raised her two children, Cilinnie and Kay. Akuamoah died in October, 2011. Overall, Allotey had four children and 20 grandchildren.

Death and state funeral Francis Allotey died of natural causes on 2 November 2017. The Ghanaian government accorded him a state funeral in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of science and technology in Ghana. His body was interred in his hometown, Saltpond, Central Region.