The Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has charged universities to strengthen partnerships with industries to ensure graduates leave with skills that respond to Ghana’s development aspirations.

Speaking at KAAF University’s graduation ceremony held on Friday, August 7, 2026, the Veep said tertiary institutions must move beyond classrooms to produce job-ready professionals in engineering, digital innovation, healthcare, governance, and law.

"Institutions such as KAAF have a role to play in advancing engineering excellence, supporting sustainable infrastructure, driving digital innovation, and nurturing business leadership”, she stated.

The role, she noted, further included strengthening governance and public policy, training highly skilled healthcare professionals, and producing legal practitioners committed to justice.

She said Ghana has reached “a defining moment in its development" and that the government’s vision of Resetting Ghana cannot be realized by the government alone.

According to the vice president, "It requires institutions that produce solutions, industries that invest in local talent, and citizens who are prepared to become ethical leaders and responsible professionals."

The Veep encouraged KAAF University to deepen research and industry collaboration so that skills acquired by graduates would directly align with the needs of the economy.

The ceremony recorded a major gender milestone, with women making up 58% of the graduating class against 42% men.

Touching on this phenomenon, Prof Naana Opoku-Agyemang said, "Together you tell a story of progress and inclusivity. It recognizes the presence of women in higher education while celebrating the contributions of the men working alongside the women."

She also commended lecturers, administrators, and support staff for their role in shaping lives.

In a special recognition, she asked graduates to applaud junior staff, cleaners, messengers, and drivers, saying, "those whose names we hardly see but without whom you and I know this university would not have come this far."

She tasked the new graduate to take up responsibility, exhibit a higher level of integrity at work, and be innovative and entrepreneurial.

She further urged them to reject corruption and mediocrity, create employment, solve community problems, and use their knowledge to improve lives as active participants in the Resetting Ghana Agenda.

KAAF’s Vice Chancellor, Dr Francis Acheampong, described the congregation as historic, as it marked KAAF’s first graduation under its own academic authority after years under mentorship.

“From dependence to confidence, from promise to performance — that is transformation,” he said.

“Your degree is not merely a certificate. It is a call to leadership, service, and excellence," he added.

He urged graduates to become problem solvers and agents of change, adding that investment in higher education is an investment in national progress.