The newly appointed Board Chairman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Professor Thomas Mba Akabzaa, has passed away just weeks after assuming office.
Prof. Akabzaa, a distinguished academic and public servant, died on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at the University of Ghana Medical Centre. The cause of his death has not been officially disclosed, but family sources confirmed the sad news to Citi News.
President John Dramani Mahama had appointed Prof. Akabzaa to lead the eight-member PURC Board. Although he could not attend the official swearing-in ceremony in person, he participated virtually and was formally inducted into office on March 28, 2025. His untimely death has cast a pall over what was expected to be a period of renewed leadership at the Commission.
Prof. Akabzaa was highly respected in academia and public service. He served as a Professor in the Department of Earth Science at the University of Ghana, where he was known for his influential research on mining, environmental sustainability, and natural resources. His work was widely cited, with over 2,200 academic citations to his name.
Among his notable contributions to environmental policy were two significant publications: Boom and Dislocation: Environmental and Social Impacts of Mining in the Wassa West District of Ghana and The Glittering Façade: Environmental and Health Impacts of Mining in the Obuasi Area*. These works critically examined the socio-environmental effects of Ghana’s extractive industries.
From 2011 to 2017, Prof. Akabzaa also served as Chief Director at the Ministry of Energy, where he was twice honored as the Best Performing Chief Director in 2013 and 2014. He further chaired the board of the West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited and held memberships in several professional bodies across Ghana and internationally.
His passing is a significant loss to Ghana’s regulatory and academic landscape, and tributes have begun pouring in from colleagues, public officials, and former students alike.
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