Cape Coast, March 5, GNA – Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education Winneba (UEW), has called for a national policy to mandate universities and industry to collaborate.
He said such a policy, developed out of collaboration between the government and academia, would help to address the situation, where universities churned out thousands of graduates every year and inculcate in the youth the passion for entrepreneurship.
He added that a strong relationship between the institutions and industries would, in the long run, make it easy for graduates to access industrial support whenever it was needed.
“China does it. If you are in a polytechnic, the school has a relationship with a number of industries and the students spend two years in the industry to learn technical skills before they graduate.
“Because they have the skills already, they can join the industry and that’s the kind of thing we want. If we don’t do that, we are not going to get anywhere with this,” he stressed.
Professor Anamuah-Mensah was speaking at the Central Regional Industrialisation Drive forum in Cape Coast on Friday on the theme: “Central Region: Rich Resources and Readiness for Industrialisation” as part of the 65th Independence Day celebration.
The event organised by the ‘One District One Factory’ Secretariat and the Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Limited, in partnership with the University of Cape Coast and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce, among others, was to explore new ways and means by which stakeholders could put their efforts together to mobilise local revenue for job and wealth creation.
The forum also created a platform for young entrepreneurs to display and market their products and also network with prospective buyers and experienced industry players.
Professor Anamuah-Mensah criticised the current model of teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), which passed students based on “teaching, research and doing community service”.
According to him, the system which has been used for the past 65 years was not progressive and, therefore, needed to be changed if Ghana was to achieve its industrialisation and development drive.
“If you are just going to promote people in the university by just saying teach, research and do community service, it won’t work. It must be taught, researched and produced goods and services so that students will become entrepreneurs.
“Some people may go into robotics but that is the essence and so without that, we cannot move forward,” he said.
For her part, Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister, highlighted some business opportunities in the region in the areas of mining, education, hospitality, aquaculture, agriculture and tourism, among others and urged investments in those sectors.
She bemoaned the challenges of post-harvest losses faced by farmers due to the inadequate number of industries available in the region to absorb the raw materials.
“Marine resources are largely untapped. Meanwhile, the region has the widest fishing zone in Ghana stretching over 168 kilometers along cost but produces just about 36 per cent of the country’s total output,” she added.
As part of efforts to address some of the challenges, she indicated that the Central Regional Coordinating Council was putting in place a Regional Development Strategy which was going to be the blueprint for the region to push development to the next level.
“We have to work hard to reclaim our glory and refuse to accept the assertion that we are poor,” she stated.
Madam Benedicta Anita Mensah, Manager, Central Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry observed that the responsibility of developing the nation rested on the shoulders of every individual and institution.
“We can’t be poor while other regions come up. It is time for us to rise and not sleep again but make sure that the industrialisation agenda of the government is realised.
Some of the visibly excited young entrepreneurs who participated in the exhibition told the Ghana News Agency the
Ms Delali Ama Nyohor, the CEO of Vegetable Hills in Cape Coast, described the exhibition as an eyeopener which cemented her conviction that it was good to establish a business instead of depending on the government.
“So, I think it is a very good opportunity for us who have just completed school. We have really gotten to know that it is just worth it to go into something of your own,” she said.
“It is nice because this is the first time I am participating in an exhibition. Even though the market is slow, we are also creating networks to be able to make sales later,” Ms Sabina Abuga, the CEO of Agaliba’s Local Hub, which is into shea butter, groundnut paste and dawadawa, said.
GNA