The President of Presbyterian University College, Ghana (PUCG), Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu said that Ghana needs to invest into research to develop beyond the service industry and move into production in its quest for prosperity.
The President of PUCG criticised the use of quality time to talk and rain insults on the radio in the name of democracy while other nations are “rocketing into space and moving into the artificial intelligence age.”
Referring to Ghana’s quest for accelerated development, Prof. Oduro Owusu said, “we cannot catch up if we continue to crawl and score own goals while others keep running and striking with precision and at a high conversion rate.”
The President implored the government to establish a National Research Fund to encourage graduate students and researchers to find answers to the numerous developmental challenges facing the country.
Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, President of PUCG
Addressing the 4th Graduation Ceremony of the School of Graduate Studies of the PUCG, Prof. Oduro Owusu disclosed that the University considers the current needs of the country in its approach to training graduate students with emphasis on integrity, selflessness, maturity, emotional stability, and ability to work with little or no supervision and in a team.
The University graduated 309 students comprising 188 males and 121 females in graduate programmes such as Educational Studies, International Development Studies, Environmental Health and Sanitation, Natural Resources Management, And Financial Risk Management.
The President of PUCG announced that the University would soon roll out two graduate programmes – Master of Science in Information and Communication Technology Management, and Master of Education in Guidance and Counselling.
Prof. Oduro Owusu posits that graduate education affords the nation the opportunity to have access to matured and knowledgeable brains to sustain the capacity building efforts of the nation and also to ensure self-dependency in knowledge application and development experts.
To achieve this, he noted that programme development should take into consideration, the local resources, contents, and needs to ensure job creation and productivity stating that the government should support the physical space, ICT, research equipment and support as well as extending scholarships to private universities.
A section of the graduating students at the 4th graduation ceremony
“Private universities more than deserve GETFund projects and assistance since they are also seriously engaged in helping to reduce the manpower deficit of the nation, positively building capacities for nation-building, and assisting with job creation and overall development,” the President added.
Presidential Charter
The President of PUCG disclosed that the University was on course toward attaining a Presidential Charter status. He thanked the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Church as whole for the immense support to bring the University thus far.
As the third President of the University, Prof. Oduro Owusu thanked his predecessors, Prof. Kofi Sraku Lartey (First President) and Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng (Second President) stating that their exemplary leadership, sacrifices, hard work and commitment, to a large extent ensured the current status and standing of the University.
He also thanked the University Council, the traditional leaders, the entire staff of the University and students who have worked tirelessly to bring the University thus far.
A section of the graduating students celebrating their successes
Advice to the graduates
Prof. Oduro Owusu charged the graduates to go out and become change agents to help develop workable options, which will strategically position our national developmental efforts in a way that will serve as a huge booster for posterity.
He said, he was confident that they would be great ambassadors of the University considering the empowerment they have received through the programmes they offered requesting them to keep in mind always the University’s motto “Discipline in leadership.”