By Sue-Ann Wayow
POLITICAL analyst and educator Hamid Ghany has been given the title of ‘Honorary Professor’ by The University of the West Indies (UWI) for his significant contributions to Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs at the university and across the region.
In a press release on Wednesday, UWI stated that it was pleased to convey the title to Prof Ghany who is currently serving at the university on attachment to the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), St Augustine Campus.
His appointment of Honorary Professor is for the period October 1, 2021 to July 31, 2023.
UWI in the release gave a background of Prof Ghany’s achievements who is also a recipient of the Chaconia Gold Medal for his contribution to education.
Prof Ghany has recently retired as Director of SALISES, at the St Augustine Campus. He was Director from October 2017 to September this year. He is a Professor in Constitutional Affairs and Parliamentary Studies and a former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences (2003 to 2012). He created the Faculty’s Constitutional Affairs and Parliamentary Studies Unit and created the Sir Arthur Lewis Distinguished Lecture Series at SALISES, St Augustine in 2018. He has taught Political Sciences and Governance courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels since 1993. He was Course Coordinator and Lecturer of Law, Governance, the Economy and Society from 1999 to 2012.
Prof Ghany’s publications include two authored books including his Constitutional Development in the Commonwealth Caribbean, one co-authored book, one edited book, a monograph on Changing Our Constitution, 21 book chapters, 14 articles in the Journal of Legislative Studies, the International Journal of Human Rights and the Caribbean Journal of Criminology and Social Psychology among others.
In 2014, he was awarded a research grant from the United Kingdom’s Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Committee to lead a research project on Magna Carta in the Commonwealth Caribbean to celebrate the 800th Anniversary in 2015.
Prof Ghany’s public service has extended across the Eastern Caribbean. He has served on two Constitution Commissions and chaired public consultations on Constitutional Reform in Trinidad and Tobago. He has also contributed to Constitutional Reform in St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines and has been a key figure in government discussions on Tobago.
