Government to rename UHAS after late Prof Mills

The government has officially announced plans to rename the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho as the Professor John Evans Atta Mills University of Health and Allied Sciences.

The announcement was made on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu during the inauguration of the university’s new Governing Council at the Ministry of Education.

The renaming cements the institution’s identity with the late President, whose vision and unwavering commitment to healthcare and education were pivotal to UHAS’ establishment.

“This is not merely a name change,” Haruna Iddrisu stated.

“It is a reaffirmation of our nation’s gratitude to a man who gave his all to education and health. Prof. Mills believed in human development as the bedrock of our progress, and UHAS was one of his most enduring dreams.”

The late President John Evans Atta Mills, who passed away in office in 2012, is widely remembered not only for his humility and integrity but also for his profound belief in accessible, high-quality education and healthcare.

It was under his leadership that the idea of UHAS was conceived and brought to life in 2011, to produce a new generation of highly skilled health professionals.

Today, what began as a fledgling institution has grown into one of Ghana’s premier universities, delivering world-class training in medicine, nursing, public health, and allied sciences.

With this renaming, his name will now forever be associated with the institution that carries forward his vision of national transformation through education.

The Chair of the newly constituted Governing Council, Professor Kodzo Gavua, hailed the move as “deeply symbolic and appropriate.”

“It is not only an honour for the late President Mills, but also a challenge to all of us—faculty, staff, and students—to uphold the values he stood for: discipline, service, scholarship, and patriotism,” Prof. Gavua remarked.

He pledged that under the new council, the Professor J.E.A. Mills University of Health and Allied Sciences would deepen its commitment to academic excellence, research innovation, and the production of healthcare professionals who are ready to serve both Ghana and the global community.

The announcement has sparked nationwide applause across political, academic, and civic circles.

Many have described it as a long-overdue recognition of a man whose legacy continues to shape Ghana’s development agenda.

The renaming also comes at a time when the country is re-evaluating how it commemorates its leaders, not just with statues and holidays, but with institutions that reflect their values and contributions.

For students and alumni of the university, the name change adds emotional and historical weight to their credentials.

“I feel proud,” said a final-year public health student. “Now, when I say where I schooled, I’m not just referencing a place. I’m referencing a legacy.”