It is with a great deal of sadness that the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) has received news of the passing of Professor Edward Ayensu, an AAS Fellow and an international development advisor on science, technology, and economic development. He passed away on 22 April 2023.

Professor Ayensu was a founding Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. The AAS was conceived on 6 July 1985 when 22 prominent scientists met in Trieste, Italy, at the inauguration of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). A task force under the leadership of the late Professor Thomas R. Odhiambo completed and presented the constitution of the AAS within six months leading it to be ratified on 10 December 1985 at a meeting held at the TWAS headquarters in Italy. Thirty-three African scholars who had taken part in the July and December meetings became Founding Fellows.

Professor Ayensu was a renowned scientist. He completed his M.Sc. from George Washington University in 1963 and obtained his doctorate three years later in 1966 from the University of London.

He held numerous high-level positions in various international scientific organizations. He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Ghana and the President of the Energy Globe Foundation. He was formerly Chairman of the World Bank Inspection Panel; Chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Ghana; Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Central Projects Department, African Development Bank and President of the Pan-African Union for Science and Technology.

Professor Ayensu was a prolific writer and has authored many books and published numerous scientific and technical papers. Some of his notable books include Medicinal Plants of West Africa (1978); medicinal Plants of the West Indies (1981); Medicinal Plants of China (1985); Ashanti Gold: The Legacy of the World’s Most Precious Metal (1997); HIV/AIDS: Knowledge Protects (2001); Science, Technology and Society (2006); Bank of Ghana @ 50: Commemoration of the Golden Jubilee (2007); Lake of Life – a commemorative volume depicting the Volta River Authority’s 50th Anniversary (2013); Field Guide to the Volta Basin (2013).

The AAS remembers him for his contribution to the growth of the Academy. We continue to mourn this great loss and express our deepest condolences to his family.