SPEECH BY PROFESSOR EMMANUEL OHENE AFOAKWA, AG. PRESIDENT, GHANA TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (GTUC) AT THE 23rd CONGREGATION
Salutation:
• Council Members Present
• The Representative for the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE)
• The Vice President (GTUC), Prof. Abeku Blankson
• The Representative of the Vice Chancellor, KNUST, Yaw Adu-Sarkodie (Provost of College of Health Sciences)
• The Registrar (GTUC), Dr. Mrs. Juliana Owusu-Ansah
• Pro-Chancellor, Coventry University, Mr. Keith Bissett
• Partnership Manager, Coventry University UK, Dr. Neil Hart
• Deans & Directors
• Members of Convocation
• All GTUC Staff present,
• SRC President
• Proud Family Members and Friends of Graduands,
• Graduands,
• Friends from the Press,
• Distinguished Guests,
• Ladies and Gentlemen
Welcome
• Our Guest Speaker, Honourable Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Minister for Western Region
• The GTUC Interim Governing Council Chairman – Professor Kwame Osei-Boateng
I am delighted to welcome you to the 23rd Congregation of Ghana Technology University College (GTUC). I wish to extend a special welcome to our Guest Speaker, Honorable Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah – Minister for Western Region, representatives of our partner institutions, and all gathered here to grace this special occasion. We are greatly honored by your presence.
A warm welcome to our graduands, we are all here today to support you as you are being rewarded for the dedicated years of hard work, perseverance and academic enthusiasm. You have gone through the stipulated period of studies and satisfied the conditions for graduation and today you will receive your honours.
Theme for 23rd Congregation
From this date, the GTUC Statute is in full operation and it will serve as the key policy instrument that will guide the governance of our University College.
I am glad to share with you the theme for our 23rd Congregation; “Becoming a Productive Graduate: The Role of Entrepreneurship and Technology in National Development”. Our theme was chosen to focus on the GTUC graduate and it emphasizes the role tertiary entrepreneurship and technology plays in producing graduates that can support national development.
In GTUC, we believe quality teaching is essential for positive student learning outcomes. The university continues to focus on delivery of quality education as its core mandate and we are expectant that our graduates today will not only demonstrate academic excellence but also espouse the virtues of humility, honesty, objectivity and tolerance.
As you may already be aware, in GTUC we train graduates to be critical thinkers; that is – intellectually disciplined, able to skillfully analyze, conceptualize and evaluate situations to provide alternate solutions.
Our graduates are innovative; that is – trained to challenge themselves to find new ways of doing the old. Our graduates are fully aware that yesterday’s ideas will not provide solutions to our current and future challenges and so they bring creativity, dynamism and out the box thinking to every situation they are confronted with.
They are also entrepreneurial; that is – with the capacity to develop, organize and manage their own business ventures. Providing employment for self and others and building a nation as a result. Ladies and gentlemen, these are the kind of graduates I present to you today!
Mr. Chairman, Special Guest, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, on this august occasion, I wish to update you on some important strides the University College has made since our last graduation.
GTUC on the road to become a Public University
The Ghana Technology University Bill, 2017 has gone through Cabinet, presented to Parliament and currently the Bill has been tabled for discussions at the Education Committee for Parliament. Upon the passage of this Bill, GTUC will become a fully-fledged public university and it will enable us to become autonomous. While a government charter will enable us issue our own certificates, it will also allow us to charge competitive public university tuition fees and enable us receive support from government/external partners which will aid the growth and development of our great University. This process is expected to be completed by the end of this year 2019.
Update on GTUC Statutes
The GTUC Statute Review Committee that was established in the first quarter to address lapses and inconsistencies in the draft GTUC Statutes has completed its task. I am very pleased to inform you that the GTUC Council received the final draft and approved the document on 30th May 2019 at their 43rd Council Meeting.
From this date, the GTUC Statute is in full operation and it will serve as the key policy instrument that will guide the governance of our University College.
Academic Matters
In GTUC, we believe quality teaching is essential for positive student learning outcomes. The university continues to focus on delivery of quality education as its core mandate and we are expectant that our graduates today will not only demonstrate academic excellence but also espouse the virtues of humility, honesty, objectivity and tolerance.
Update on Graduation for undergraduate, Masters and PhD programmes
• GTUC has enrolled a total number of 2,076 students for the 2017/2018 academic year. This includes; PhD (27), Masters (619) and undergraduate (1,430) students across all our 5 regional campuses.
• The University College has also graduated a total number of 2441 students for the 2018/2019 academic year. This includes; Thirty-Two (32) Ph.D., Eight Hundred and Fifty Two (852) postgraduate, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Three (1763) undergraduate students across all our 5 regional campuses.
Today, we are graduating a total of 233 graduates (Diploma, Undergraduate and Masters) from the following affiliated institutions;
– CASS Europe in France,
– University of West Scotland, UK
– Coventry University, UK,
– Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and
– Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
Academic collaborations and accreditations
I am pleased to inform you that GTUC is excelling beyond expectations and our academic programmes enjoy full accreditation by our local affiliate universities, international partners and other professional bodies. We continue to place emphasis on academic excellence, nurturing of personal values and ethics that will become the standards of our communities, country and the world at large.
Scholarships
The GTUC President’s Scholarship
• The GTUC Presidents Scholarship award scheme is available to support the needy but brilliant students. The scheme will also help the students have more time to focus on their studies and worry less about the financial challenges that they may be facing.
The Barclays Bank Scholarship
The Barclays Bank through its flagship scholarship programme, Tertiary Education Scholarship, under the Barclays Shared Growth Agenda awarded scholarship to thirteen (13) students from GTUC last year. The one year scholarship which is renewable, catered for the students’ tuition fees, hostel and academic user facility fees, lap top and feeding allowance for the 2018/2019 Academic Year. I encourage all GTUC students in need of scholarship to visit the Students Affairs Office for more information on sponsorship application or renewal processes for the 2018/2019 academic year.
Update on GTUC Consortium on E-Transform Project
The Ghana Innovation Hub set up by MDF West Africa, BlueSpace Africa and GTUC under the eTransform program of the Ministry of Communications has begun the second cohort of the program “the #innov8GH Incubation batch 2”. The second incubation program will span a period of 3 months from 18th July to 26th September 2019.
Fifteen businesses have been selected to receive intensive business development based on the Hubs curriculum for running a successful startup business. Out of the fifteen selected businesses, two of the incubates are GTUC students from the IT Business faculty. The business selected for the second cohort will be supported with a minimum cash grant of 10,000 GH Cedis to validate their business during the incubation program.
The winning business from the final pitching day event will be awarded a cash price of 50, 0000 GH Cedis to invest in their business. GTUC will be providing coaching services to the incubatees, including the use of technology in their business.
All Senior Members, Staff and students are encouraged to make good use of the Hub and the facilities that it has to offer.
Transnational Education
As a pioneer in the delivery of Transnational Education (TNE), GTUC remains to brand the torch as one of the most successful TNE providers in Ghana and Africa. Over the years, we have established, built and maintained successful academic partnerships with several universities abroad .
I am very pleased to inform you that GTUC has recently renewed our partnership with Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Germany and we have introduced two new post graduate programmes; Masters in Logistics and Air Traffic management and Masters in Online Communication (Digital Business and Online Marketing).
The University College has also signed an agreement with Ghent University in Belgium to work together on utilizing research results, engaging in faculty/students visits and exchange, staff development, curriculum development and other programmes beneficial to both universities.
Again, discussions are far advanced with Jiangsu University in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China to collaborate in the development of areas such as; faculty and student exchange, organising international seminars/conferences, joint research projects and planning other cooperative programmes.
Word to the Graduates
To my dear graduands, always remember the meaning of the University’s crest. The Adinkra symbol ‘Nea onnim no sua a, ohu’ (Knowl- edge comes from learning) a Ghanaian Cultural Symbol, that explains the need for constant knowledge acquisition, an essential ingredient of education. This traditional African symbol represents knowledge, life-long education and a continued quest for new ideas. Remember the words of the American entrepreneur Jeff Bezos – founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com and owner of ‘The Washington Post; “One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out”
Also remember GTUC when the good times come, as they will. Contribute substantially in kind and/or in cash so this institution can continue to evolve.
Appreciation of Staff
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I will like to acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices of our hardworking academic and administrative staff who have offered their services with commitment and resilience in spite of the challenges we face. You are the real unseen heroes of the higher education system.
Challenges
Several initiatives, projects and programmes have been hampered due to lack of funds. Worthy of mention are the library, laboratories and hostel projects. We appeal to government, philanthropists, corporate bodies and individuals to contribute in cash and kind to the completion of these projects so we can place GTUC on the pedestal it deserves.
We also urge government to help speed up the passing of the Ghana Technology University (GTU) bill. This will enable the University College to become a full-fledged public university and have the autonomy to issue its own certificates.
Closing
Mr. Chairman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, on this note, I will like to end by congratulating all the fresh graduates once again. On behalf of the University and on my own behalf, I say go out there, work hard, excel and own the world. Ayekoo.
Thank you.
