By Regina Benneh
Fiapre (Bono), Oct. 26, GNA – Mr Joseph Addae Akwaboa, Bono Regional Minister, has called on universities to intensify efforts to produce graduates capable of addressing emerging societal challenges.
He emphasised that academic programmes offered by universities must be aligned with the needs of industry and society to ensure graduates remain relevant in an evolving world.
The Regional Minister emphasised that graduates must be equipped with the requisite knowledge, skills, values, and creativity to contribute meaningfully to national development.
Mr Akwaboa made the call in a speech read on his behalf at the 25th Congregation and 38th Matriculation ceremony of the Catholic University of Ghana (CUG) at Fiapre, near Sunyani.
A total of 2,808 students graduated after completing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
The graduates comprised 668 postgraduate and 2,138 undergraduate students, including 1,736 from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, 615 from the School of Health and Allied Sciences, and 155 from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
Others were 226 students from the Faculty of Education, 51 from the Faculty of Computer Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, and 23 from the Faculty of Religion and Social Sciences.
The University also graduated its first PhD student and matriculated about 1,810 fresh students for the 2026/2027 academic year.
Mr Akwaboa said the development of every nation was largely dependent on the quality of its human resource base and noted that the CUG continued to play a vital role in producing skilled manpower for the Bono region and the nation as a whole.
He urged the University to strengthen partnerships with industry, public institutions, and the private sector to ensure that its academic programmes responded to changing societal needs.
Mr Akwaboa said the Government placed a premium on education, youth empowerment, digital transformation and skills development.
He noted that the implementation of the Government’s “No-Fees-Stress” initiative remained a key intervention aimed at reducing the financial burden on first-year tertiary students and their families.
He described the initiative as a major effort to remove financial barriers to higher education.
The Regional Minister added that the Government had prioritised technical and vocational education, entrepreneurship and digital skills development to build a workforce capable of responding to emerging opportunities in technology, agriculture, manufacturing and business.
He called on the CUG to complement those priorities by strengthening practical learning, promoting responsible use of technology, and equipping students with competencies required in contemporary workplaces.
Mr Akwaboa said research and innovation could help address challenges related to agricultural productivity, youth unemployment, sanitation, public health, environmental sustainability, and local economic development.
Professor Matthew Glover Addo, Vice Chancellor of the CUG, described the graduation of the institution’s first PhD student as a significant milestone and the beginning of a new era of doctoral education and research excellence.
He expressed the hope that the achievement would inspire many more scholars to pursue the highest levels of academic attainment.
GNA
Edited by Dennis Peprah/Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Regina Benneh
Email: [email protected]