Edward Solomon Ayensu (August 28, 1935 – April 22, 2023)[1] was a Ghanaian life scientist and professor.
[3] In 1978, the Smithsonian Institution established the Office of Biological Conservation, with Ayensu as director.
"[5] Ayensu held many leadership positions in African sciences, including acting as the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science, Technology and Innovation (PACSTI) Ghana, chairman of the board of trustees of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Ghana, chairman of the board of trustees of the Accra Institute of Technology (AIT) and president of the Energy Globe Foundation.
He was 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[6] and President of the Pan-African Union for Science and Technology.
He was also formerly member of the board of trustees of the UN University for Peace, member of the advisory board of the Sustainable Forestry Management Limited (SFM) and secretary-general of the International Union of Biological Sciences and he was the founding chairman of the African Biosciences Network.