By Kodjo Adams, GNA
Accra, Nov. 12, GNA – The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) is partnering with the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) to establish a digital governance and public sector innovation hub in West Africa.
The proposed GIMPA-UESTC Ghana-China Centre for West African Studies will undertake research, build institutional capacity and develop practical solutions to improve public sector performance in digital governance, e-government, artificial intelligence (AI) applications and data systems.
Professor Samuel Bonsu, Rector of GIMPA, announced the partnership during the Institute’s 65th anniversary celebration, describing it as a key component of its strategy to reposition the institution for the next phase of its development.
The centre is expected to provide a platform for research, training and knowledge exchange to support digital transformation in Ghana and across the West African sub-region.
Prof. Bonsu said higher education institutions must move beyond awarding qualifications and become centres of innovation, entrepreneurship, research, problem-solving and societal transformation.
He said Ghana and Africa could not achieve global competitiveness while relying on outdated management systems, inefficient public institutions and educational models that prepared graduates for an increasingly obsolete labour market.
GIMPA, Prof. Bonsu noted, intended to position itself at the intersection of management, public administration, governance, leadership and technology to prepare a new generation of leaders to navigate technological change.
He identified the GIMPA Act, 2004, as a defining moment in the Institute’s history, granting it autonomy as a public tertiary institution with expanded academic and professional training responsibilities.
The arrangement required the Institute to generate its own revenue to pay staff salaries and finance its infrastructure and operations without direct government funding.
Prof. Bonsu expressed satisfaction that GIMPA had moved from a deficit position around 2021 to what he described as a highly positive financial position.
He said the recovery had been achieved alongside efforts to reduce student numbers as part of a strategy to re-establish the Institute as a leading graduate school.
However, Prof. Bonsu identified political interference as a major threat to GIMPA’s long-term sustainability, cautioning that partisan political alignment could undermine its independence and institutional identity.
He expressed confidence that the Institute could build on its achievements and remain relevant to Ghana and the continent if stakeholders remained committed to protecting its founding values and adapting to changing global realities.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Kodjo Adams
Email: [email protected]