Graduates must fit into industrial sector - Minister

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Tertiary Education has noted that tertiary education must train graduates with the right calibre of manpower to be innovative and respond to the needs of industrial sector.

He said education goes beyond acquiring knowledge in class, but rather build students with the right attitudes to fit into the society and make meaningful impact in their field of endeavour.

Mr Ablakwa said this at a forum in Accra christened: “Global Citizenship World Café,” organised by Webster University Ghana to encourage the spirit of global citizenship in the country and the sub region.

The forum brought together accomplished Ghanaians from all sectors of the economy and provided rich blend of world views and insights to inform discussions on global citizenship and how it applies to present generation in shaping their outlook.

He noted that quality education remains government priority, adding that Ghana is among countries identified as preferred destination for higher education in Africa and no doubt the country has a good number of international students learning in the universities.

He said government has tasked the National Accreditation Board to give priority to private universities who want to offer science based institution since there is room for more private sector education in that field.

Mr Ablakwa said government has had 13 educational reforms since independence, hence the need to identify strategic areas that should be improved upon through dialogue and constructive criticism.

He said the country spends six per cent of its Gross Domestic Product on education and the forum was to provide opportunities to learn experiences from other countries to enhance education.

Ms Christa Sanders, Director of Webster University said the University is an American tertiary institution founded in 1915 and started operation in Ghana Campus in 2013 to deliver high-quality American style education.

She said the forum was in line with the University’s vision to develop global citizens who think and see things differently and expressed hope that the discourse would develop local students into global citizens.

She indicated that the forum focussed on the core programme areas of the University with reference to business management, international relations and media communications.

Ms Sanders said the Ghana Campus is one of nine international campuses that form a unique network for studying almost anywhere in the world.

Mr Rami Baitie, Head of Corporate Affairs and Marketing at UT Group said the forces of global engagement are helping people identify themselves as global citizens, through modern information, communication and transportation technologies.

He said companies need to be time conscious in doing business to remain competitive on the global scale of business as well as make good use of technology since it is a driving force for business organisations.

Dr Godwin Etse Sikanku, Lecturer at the School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana said the role of media to global citizenship is critical because it serves as a tool to transmit information across the globe for social and economic transformation.

Mr Francis Appiah, Financial Analyst at Liberty Capital said an effective means to address many of most pressing global problems is to mobilise the business sector in building economic partnership.