Mrs. Mary Abena Agyakoma Agyepong was born on Tuesday, 20th June, 1967, at Agogo, Asante Akyem to Mr. Thomas Ernest Kyei, (an astute Educationist and Planner) and Mrs. Agnes Kyei (A house-maker), all of blessed memory. The youngest of seventeen siblings, young Mary grew up at Asafo, Kumasi under the strict Presbyterian discipline of her parents, the love of very big family, alongside the community of believers at the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Ramseyer Congregation, Adum, Kumasi. From the very beginning, young Mary had a plethora of role models that helped to shape and set her on the right footing in the years to follow.
She started her primary education at the Queen Elizabeth Nursery at the Fanti New Town in Kumasi, then followed on to State Experimental School, at Nhyiaeso, Kumasi, where she sat and passed her Common Entrance Examinations. In 1980 Mary was accepted into the Ace Aburi Girls Secondary School where she had her secondary school education. She obtained her GCE Ordinary and GCE Advanced levels Certificates in 1985 and 1987 respectively. Later she was awarded B. Sc. (Hons) in Biochemistry and M. Sc. in Food Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi and McGill University, Montreal, Canada in 1992 and 1997 respectively after successful completion of her studies.
On her return to Ghana, she joined the Sunyani Polytechnic in September 1997, first as a Lecturer, then as a Head of Department. At the young age of 31, she became first female Vice Principal for the Polytechnic, during the tenure of the Principal, Prof. Kwasi Nsiah-Gyabaah and served two terms, having been voted into office by the Convocation of the Institution. She was subsequently appointed as the Dean of Students from February 2003 to 31st August 2007. The energetic Mary served the Polytechnic in various capacities, notably amongst them is the Championing the institutionalization of the Sunyani Polytechnic Lecture Series, a forum created for the presentation and the dissemination of research findings. She was also part of the team that supervised the integration of ICT into the processes and procedures of the Polytechnic.
From September 2007 to August 2013, Mrs. Mary Abena Agyepong served as the first Female Registrar for Koforidua Polytechnic. She was responsible to the Rector for Human Resource Management, Organisational Development, Academic and Students Affairs, and Municipal Services among others. As a Registrar, she was Secretary to Council and its Sub Committees, the Academic Board and its sub-committees, and the custodian of the Seal of the Polytechnic.
As the Registrar, Mrs. Agyepong worked in collaboration with the Rectors at the time, Dr. George Afrane and then Late Prof. Reynolds Okai in the restructuring of the Administrative set up, rapid staff development and the deepening of the Academic partnerships with other Institutions in Ghana and abroad. During her tenure, she led the team in the Institutionalization of the Annual Applied Research Conference and the implementation of the Management Information System (MIS). Another cardinal contribution was the collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning into the introduction of Flexible and Blended Skills, culminating into the formation of the Institute of the Open and Distance Learning (IODL).
Abena Agyepong has contributed her quota to her country Ghana. In May 2016, when the Government of Ghana needed to set up a 3-member Interim Management Committee (IMC), to restore the governance and order at the Wa Polytechnic, Mary was selected as a Member/Secretary of the Committee that worked assiduously to restore peace and order to the hitherto troubled Institution. She is currently a member of the team put together by the Centre for Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS) which is working in close collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) to produce a National Policy on Open Educational Resource (OER) for Ghana.
In Consultancy, Abena Agyepong has worked briefly as the Local Consultant on the Assessment of the Shea Butter Mechanization Project in the Northern Region of Ghana for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), now UN Women in 1993. For a combined period of five years, between, November 2013 and August 2018, Mary worked as a Free Lance Consultant for the TODA Investments and Hospitality, and in the setting up of the Metallex Institute for Technology and Tourism (MITT).
Mrs. Mary Abena Agyepong is a well-resourced person with high levels of local and international exposure that has tremendously imparted her life, work and relationships. She has participated in several International and Local workshops, seminars and summits in areas of Conflict Resolution, Negotiation and Advocacy, Human Resources Metrics, and Flexible Skills Development. She has also attended several local and international conferences and presented papers on various subjects including ICT Integration, partnership and collaboration. Her publications are in the various areas including ICT integration.
Abena Agyepong is a practicing Christian, and worships with the Methodist Church Ghana, Bethany Society, Dzorwulu, Accra since 2017. Until then, she worshipped at Nsukwao Society of the Koforidua Diocese, and was part of the Leaders meeting and a Lay Preacher. She served the Koforidua Diocese as a member of various Advisory teams including the Coordinating Offices for Education and Youth Development and Social Services. Under the Executive of the Diocese, she has served as member of Public Relations/Communications & Publication Office (2015-2017) and the Human Resource/Administration Office (2015 – 2017). She has been a member of the Synod of the Koforidua Diocese since 2015 and currently the Editor of the Wesleyan Herald (A Quarterly Newsletter of the Koforidua Diocese).
The Council of the Presbyterian University College, Ghana (PUCG) appointed her as the Second Registrar and she assumed duty on 1st September, 2018. She succeeded Mr. Kwadwo Amo Osei, the first Registrar, who had served the University for 15 years. Noted for her professionalism and flint of integrity, Mary Abena Agyepong has strong desire to deliver expected results within a given time. She believes in people, process and relationships in developing trust which is a universal currency that propels rapid development of any organization.
Mary is fascinated with everything technology and believes that appropriate application of Technology holds a special place in leapfrogging the growth and development of every institution. She loves to read and write in her spare time. She is a proud member of the Aburi Girls Old Students Association (Class of 85) and the Praying Wives Movement.
Mrs. Mary Abena Agyepong is married to Nana Kwesi Agyepong (Director of Materials, Ghana Highways Authority), for the past 25 years and they are blessed with four daughters, Getrude-Caroline (KNUST), Geraldine-Cristal (Aburi Girls Senior High), Charlene-Payin (Jack & Jill) and Charmaine-Kakra (Jack & Jill).