Decision making process in universities must change

The Executive Chairman and Group CEO of Global Media Alliance (GMA) has made a strong point for a radical change in the speed at which decisions are made in Ghanaian public universities.

According to Mr. Edward Boateng, the universities are not attracting the requisite financial and technical support because the established systems can be very frustrating to interested individuals and organizations.

He says the university systems and structures need to move in tandem with technology for real development to take off.

The GMA has been instrumental in the establishment of the recently commissioned Centre for Business Development at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). The facility is serving as a think tank for the University.

But Mr. Boateng is questioning why he had to work with three Vice Chancellors over a seven year period to get the project running; a challenge he attributes to system failure.

He observed the top universities in the world like Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard are developing because of their time consciousness in decision making.

“If we are to develop, it’s not the oil, it’s not the cocoa, it’s the people we’re developing on these campuses that will make Ghana the place that it has to be. Therefore we really need to make sure that we change and also help our administrators. There is no point in taking seven years to take a decision on something that could have taken you at least a month or two or one board meeting”, Mr. Boateng stated.

Vice Chancellor of the KNUST, Prof. William Otoo Ellis welcomed the challenge. But he also entreated industry to be receptive to proposals from academia to solidify the partnership in the training of requisite manpower for business and industry.

The GMA, a Pan African integrated media and entertainment company, is hoping to establish a centre of excellence for media and business at the KNUST.