After a rigorous admission process involving selecting qualifying candidates, taking written examinations and attending a face-to-face interview, 70 candidates have been admitted to pursue the Bachelor of Laws programme at the Faculty of Law, University of Cape Coast for the 2017/2018 academic year. These candidates are: S/N REF. NO. NAME 1 MP17/00542 ABDULAI ALHAJI 2 MP17/00424 ABDUL-RAHAMANN IBRAHIM 3 MP17/00351 ABIAW EBENEZER 4 MP17/00381 ACQUAYE GEORGE 5 MP17/00286 AFATSAWU JEHOSHAPHAT 6 MP17/00477 AGYARE BENJAMIN KWEDWO 7 MP17/00435 AHEY DIVINE ELORM 8 MP17/00496 AHMED ABDUL-MAJEED 9 MP17/00509 AMOAKOHENE EMMANUEL YEBOAH 10 MP17/00239 AMPONG-ACKAH ALEXANDER 11 MP17/00546 AMPONSAH DUAH PRISCILLA 12 MP17/00242 AMPIAH EDWINA EWURAMA 13 MP17/00296 ANANE SARAH DAMFOAH 14 MP17/00250 ANIAGYEI WENDY 15 MP17/00284 ANNAN- PRAH DEBORAH 16 MP17/00384 ANSAH EMMA ESI 17 MP17/00498 ANSONG MATILDA OSEI 18 MP17/00245 ARTHUR-DADZIE MAGDALENE MAUD 19 MP17/00490 ASANTEWAA RITA YAA 20 MP17/00322 ASSAN FELIX 21 MP17/00366 ASANTE WENDY AKOSUA SERWAA 22 MP17/00378 ATAKORA MICHEAL 23 MP17/00474 ATTITSOGBUI ROSE MAWUPEMO AMA 24 MP17/00342 AWINDAGO JUSTICE ABAN 25 MP17/00247 AYOMBIL MERCY 26 MP17/00336 BOATENG-DUAH AUDREY 27 MP17/00479 COBBINAH ERIC 28 MP17/00484 DOKE NELSON AGBESI 29 MP17/00465 DOMO VITUS NYENKANAKPE 30 MP17/00283 DWAMENA ELIZABETH 31 MP17/00433 EL-WILSON JEMIMA NUERKI 32 MP17/00473 EKEM JACOB KENNETH 33 MP17/00373 ENTSIWAH RAYMOND KNAPPS 34 MP17/00223 EHUN ELIZABETH 35 MP17/00272 ESSEL LARTEY ERIC 36 MP17/00500 FOSU KOFI AGYEI 37 MP17/00316 GORMAN FRANK 38 MP17/00422 GREENE NICHOLINA 39 MP17/00236 INSAIDOO AGNES 40 MP17/00511 KORANTENG KOFI 41 MP17/00228 KORKOR-ACQUAH HARRIET 42 MP17/00562 KUMAH EMMANUEL 43 MP17/00255 KUPIEL LEVIEL 44 MP17/00356 MENSAH BENEDICTA AMA 45 MP17/00487 MENSAH ENOCH 46 MP17/00531 MENSAH IDA 47 MP17/00483 MENSAH ISAAC 48 MP17/00338 MENSAH KWABENA BOATENG 49 MP17/00524 NDOM-DAMPSON KWESI 50 MP17/00436 NSAFUL ESI OWUBAA 51 MP17/00243 NTRAKWA KWABENA 52 MP17/00146 NYANTAKYI NICHOLAS 53 MP17/00403 NYARKOH KENNEDY SARFO 54 MP17/00262 NYARKU ESI NYAME 55 MP17/00537 ODOOM AYESHA 56 MP17/00411 OKATA LETICIA 57 MP17/00266 OSEI CHARLES DONKOR 58 MP17/00229 OWARE AHENKAN KWAKU 59 MP17/00538 OWUSU FRANCIS 60 MP17/00492 OWUSU-MINTAH PRISCILLA 61 MP17/00536 QUAINYIN FRANCIS 62 MP17/00454 QUANSAH JENNIFER 63 MP17/00467 QUARTEY SOLOMON KWATEI 64 MP17/00447 QUIST FRITZ OBENG ASSIAMA 65 MP17/00450 SAEED HAFFIS 66 MP17/00471 SALIA MAAMA 67 MP17/00547 TETTEH SANDRA 68 MP17/00508 TETTEH MICHEAL CHRIS 69 MP17/00437 VANDA-ICE SAMUEL 70 MP17/00494 YEBOA-AMO NANA AKOWAA

The University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) has partnered five Ghanaian Universities including the University of Cape Coast, University of Ghana, University of Education, Winneba, University of Development Studies and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration to establish a joint Centre for West African Studies. The Centre is to provide a unique platform to expand the collaboration which already exist between these Universities and also allow Professors from these universities with similar research interest to publish papers and supervise PhDs together. Speaking at the official launch of the Centre for West African Studies, Dean, School of International Education, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Professor Julia DI, indicated that UESTC collaborated with Universities in Ghana because of their commerce and strong background in education and research. She indicated that the Centre would also provide opportunities for other Professors and students from universities in Ghana to join the Centre in future. The Vice-Chancellors from the Ghanaian Universities on their part welcomed their partner from UESTC and expressed their willingness to be part of the collaboration. They also indicated that the establishment of the Centre would provide unique opportunities for the five universities in Ghana to collaborate with UESTC on a common research interest which would ensure a win-win situation for all partners. During the official launch of the Centre, appointment letters were also presented to the principal researchers from each University’s Research Team. Prof. (Mrs.) Rosemond Boohene received the certificate on behalf of the UCC team. The delegation at the launch of the Centre from the Ghanaian Universities included Vice-Chancellor, UCC, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah; Dean, Centre for International Education, UCC, Prof. (Mrs) Rosemond Boohene; Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu; Acting Rector, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Prof. Philip Ebow Bondzi-Simpson; Vice-Chancellor of University for Development Studies, Prof. Gabriel Ayum Teye and Dean, Faculty of Language Education, University of Education, Winneba, Prof. Yaw Sekyi Baidoo. UESTC was also represented by Prof. Sehn Xiaorong, Vice Chairman of University Council; Prof. Zhao Shurong, Director, Centre for West African Studies of UESTC, China; Prof. Tang Zhiwei, Dean, School of Political Science and Public Administration; Prof. Ma Yongkai, Dean, School of Management and Economics; and others.

The Centre for International Education (CIE), has participated in the 1st International Educational Fair organised by Elom and Kekeli, a private organisation based in Lome, Togo. The fair attracted over 70 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors. The University of Cape Coast's participation in the fair by was in fulfilment of the University’s internationalisation strategy to increase the number of international students. The fair also provided the platform to explore collaboration opportunities with other educational institutions in Togo for a possible students and faculty exchange. As part of activities marking the fair, different conferences and presentations were held on daily basis to offer participants the opportunity to learn more about other institutions present. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Prime Minister of Togo, His Excellency Komi Selorm Klassou welcomed the exhibitors and encouraged visitors at the fair to take advantage of the educational opportunities to make best life choices. As part of the closing ceremony, the University of Cape Coast won an award for having one of the best animated stands. UCC was represented by Head, Department of English, Dr. Moussa Traore,; Dr. Anthony De-Souza( Senior Lecturer, Department of French), Mr. Alfred Ghartey (Jnr. Assistant Registrar, Centre for International Education); Ms. Evelyn Osam-Pinanko (Jnr. Assistant Registrar, Admissions Section – Directorate of Academic Affairs) and Mr. Anthony Ephraim, (Driver, Centre for International Education).

Quality Legal education is the bedrock for an effective and efficient judiciary, Chief Justice Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood has declared. “Senior Ghanaian judges complain that the quality of legal education is suffering a nose-dive. Especially judges in the senior judiciary are not quite happy with the standards in our courts”. The Chief Justice was speaking at the 2017 African Law Schools Forum at the Coconut Grove Hotel, Elmina. The theme for the forum is “Decolonizing Legal Education In Africa”. It is being held under the auspices of the International Association of Law Schools, which has a membership of more than 150 Law Schools from all over the world. The mission of the association is to bring these schools together to improve legal education globally. Most importantly, it is trying to prepare Law students to work in every part of the world since the world is now interconnected. The association is divided into four that is Americas, Africa, Asia- Pacific and Europeans regions. The Chief Justice there was the need to be concerned about the falling standards of legal training because “we draw our judges from our pool of lawyers, so if we get good lawyers we are bound get good judges’. Mrs. Wood intimated that the law served as the fundamental principle of civil society since it was the effective, efficient and proper application of rule of law in governance that leads to development in every sphere of life be it economic, social or political. She stressed that good legal education should teach, model and shape a student’s sense of moral and ethical responsibilities as someone who has been trained in the law. “The ethical grounding for me is the most important element of legal education. Judges need it, practitioners need to have sound and ethical moral grounding”. “So perhaps as legal educators you need it more than anybody else, because if we succeed in providing for ourselves highly ethical legal educators, quite a number of the problems we face will pale into insignificance”. On protocol admission into law Schools, the Chief Justice challenged legal educators to keep to admission requirement to ensure that the standards of legal practice were not compromised in the country. She said Justice “knows no protocol, so for me I will highlight this element, we need to hold each other’s hand and encourage ourselves to build a strong ethical system by ensuring that we ourselves do take the initial approach”. Another matter of concern according to the Chief Justice was the lack of strong faculty in Ghana, “saying these weak systems affect other areas”. She told participants of the forum that trial judges were being engaged as lecturers in Law Schools. She indicated that the General Legal Council has decided that no trial judge was permitted to serve as part time lecturer in a private university. This was because it violated constitutional principles and as such judges were paid as full time staff by government and also for the fact that it affects output of judges. She however explained that Appellate court judges have been permitted to do so because they do not sit on daily basis. “We have written to all law faculties not to entertain judges in their institutions. I will like to encourage our legal educators that they lead the way and we follow”. On his part, the acting Dean of the Faculty of Law UCC, Prof. Obeng Mireku said they were concerned about imposition of Western legal concepts which have all along been used to teach and produce lawyers and judges. “Lawyers and Judges in Africa have challenges in their work, yet their mindset and training do not consider the indigenous laws. We have sacrificed them for laws that come from Europe and therefore we are concerned as Law Deans in Africa to have a relook at the curriculum and how we teach it. We need to promote African values that have hitherto been ignored or distorted because of the Eurocentric nature of the legal curricula we inherited,” Prof. Mireku explained. The acting Dean said they had secured the consent of the judiciary who regularly give them inputs into what they expect from the law graduates that are being trained in the law schools. Prof. Mireku said it was not belated to have these changes done, because if they were not immediately dealt with, it would be very difficult to get rid of them. “Ghana for example has inherited the English legal system since the bond of 1844, that bond was the first step to impose the English Common law tradition into Ghana at the expense of the indigenous legal thought processes”. He noted. “Although there are differentiations, what we need to do as legal educators is to identify the common trends and also appreciate the differentiated practices and put all these together and sanitize them because some of them are not consistent with our situation, for example the bill of rights”.

The Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) has organised a seminar on grant proposal writing.
It was on the theme " Structure and essentials of a winnable grant proposal ".
Speaking at the programme, Director of DRIC, Prof. Frederick Ato Armah, said good proposal was a precondition to attract grant.
Prof. Frederick Ato Armah speaking at the workshop
"No grant comes through without a proposal. To win a grant, you must write a good proposal", he added.
Prof. Armah noted that grant proposal was needed because " it requires funding, helps plan the proposed research and help to organise research in a logical, focused and effective way."
Prof. Armah singled out project title and acronym, cover letter, executive summary, need statement, goals and objectives and methodology as major components of a grant proposal.
He also mentioned that " a need statement is a compelling description of the need or problem to be addressed by the applicant.
Dr. Samuel Bamfo (Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology) and Enoch Acheampong (a Teaching Assistant at the Department of Communication Studies) at the event.
" In a need statement, your organisation should have the mandate to address the need; the need statement should address the call, and many more," he continued.
He advised that the need statement should be sweet, concise and simple and easily digestible.
In the process of writing a need strategy, Prof. Armah mentioned that “we state clearly what the need is, we use clear and credible statistics to support our argument, give clear sense of urgency and the need statement should be persuasive without being wordy".
He added that a good need statement gives the viewer the needed information to understand the objectives and approaches in the proposal, builds up towards answering a specific question that is unknown, discuss relevant data on the subject, etc.
Prof. Armah emphasised that a research plan must be so detailed that an independent researcher could carry out the study based on the plan.
He added that to write a good proposal, one must read the call very well.
Sarah Osei, undergraduate student
Prof. Armah pointed out that a WhatsApp platform had been created for ongoing interaction and guidance. He indicated that participants would receive support in fine-tuning their proposals, meeting deadlines, and submitting applications to funding agencies.
Feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing newfound confidence and ambition to pursue larger research grants.
"This experience has been transformative. It is not just about skills; it is about the mindset shift that I can contribute significantly to global research narratives," Mr. Enoch Acheampong, a workshop participant, said.
Prof. Desmond Omane Acheampong, Dean of School of Allied Health
UCC's commitment to supporting and advancing the careers of its female faculty through practical training highlights a broader institutional goal of fostering an inclusive and forward-thinking academic community. The workshop sets a precedent for similar initiatives to nurture research professionals well-equipped to deal with contemporary challenges through innovation and scholarly distinction.
Source: Directorate of Public Affairs

A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, has advocated for the training of more graduate students not only to feed the job market but also to generate new ideas. “All top Universities are to train people for the job market, but it is also their duty to come out with new ideas by engaging in research”, he stressed. Prof. Aryeetey made the statement at the 2nd Research Awards and Grants ceremony organised by the Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC). The annual event is held to motivate and honour faculty members who have the potential to engage in impact-oriented research or have distinguished themselves in the same regard. The ceremony provided the platform for research awardees and grantees to share their research output and experiences with policy makers, academics, industrialists and the general public for the purpose of national socio-economic transformation. In terms of the selection of the awards, 24 out of the total of 64 who applied for support to undertake new research were successful. They were given various amounts of money to do their work. Again, seven researchers were also presented with cash awards for their previous works. Dr. Ernest Teye and Dr. David Oscar Yawson presented outcomes of their research works for which they were awarded at the function. Prof. Aryeetey said the Sustainable Development Goals could only be achieved with a solid foundation in research. He, therefore, noted, “We can have fertilizer available but we have to teach the farmers new ways of using the chemical. We need to have new ideas always”. On the need to change or focus on graduate studies, the former Vice-Chancellor indicated that, the world has changed and for that reason, UCC must also shift towards that direction to share in the benefits thereof. “There is no need to worry about undergraduate training, because currently there are many universities in Ghana to take care of that”. Prof. Aryeetey added that “Time is now for Africa to get more graduate universities since it provides more job opportunities for the people”. Prof. Aryeetey lauded UCC for the path it has taken to give prominence to research activities but warned that it was not an easy path, since it called for hard work. “What UCC seeks to do and achieve is important but does not come very cheap, you need to work for it, it demands extra effort of all”. On the role of research to the growth of countries, he said there were enough evidence to prove that countries that have embarked on vigorous research activities have grown in all fields. He said there were both difficult and easy ways of doing research. “If you decide to it all by yourself, it will cost more money and time. But the easy way is to have partnership, we need to encourage people to go into partnership especially in Africa”. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah said management would continue to provide DRIC with both human and capital resources to undertake its mandate of expanding the frontiers of research both within and outside the university. Prof. Ampiah announced that the research fund has been increased from one hundred thousand to five hundred thousand cedis to enable more faculty members undertake research. He was hopeful that the support provided would not be limited to only the advancement of knowledge but would affect both the University and the society at large. He congratulated all who applied for the grants and assured them of the continued support from DRIC.

A Workshop on the theme “The Clergy and Biopsychosocial –Spiritual Treatments of Mental Illness” organised by the Department of Psychological Medicine and Mental Health has been held to bridge the gap between Faith-based organisations and Mental Health practitioners. The issue of mental health has come to the fore for discussions in the country since the rate of suicide has gained prominence in the media. People with stress and anxiety who mostly do not know where to go for the right solutions rather resort to prayer camps and other unorthodox means for treatment albeit without success. This is because of the lack of appreciation of mental illness. Even those who do understand, attribute it to spirituality. It was for this reason that a Senior Lecturer and Head, Department of the Psychological Medicine and Mental Health, Dr. Michael T. Anim explained that the workshop was organised to bring persons who handle such matters together to seek a common understanding of the situation. “We want all caregivers, service users that is patients, families and society to understand so that treatment will be easy and that people can have access to it”. “Faith-based communities must understand that mental illness is easy to treat”. The workshop, which brought together Faith-based workers from Elmina and Mankessim, was also to foster collaboration among them on any mental illness. That, Dr. Anim said would create the opportunity for Psychiatric personnel to refer cases to the clergy and vice versa. “Through this we can all have easy access to the patient for his or her common good”. Dr. Anim declared “Mental illness is not necessarily craziness, it starts gradually and builds up into major mental disturbances”. He therefore called on society to disabuse their minds of all perceptions about mental health and rather seek early help to avoid deterioration. In a presentation, a Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Eugene K. Dordoye, stated that when people were not able to overcome their stresses they get mental illnesses. “Most of the things in mental health are due to the thought process or thinking”. His topic was “Biological Factors in Mental Health, Disease and Treatment”. Dr. Dordoye indicated that “concepts are symbiotic representation of the mind and they are built up from childhood as language is learnt”. He stated that mental illness was not a spiritual problem. He however, said that “a spiritual solution to a mental illness does not imply a spiritual cause adding that adiction on the otherhand is a disease that has a spiritual solution that has been shown scientifically to cause changes in the brain”. Another presenter, Mr. Christian Ackom of Department, indicated that research has shown that mental illness was caused by a combination of factors, which include psychological factors. Mr. Ackom noted that individuals were influenced by their thoughts, emotions and behaviour. “Things we experience from our environment (family, friends, colleagues, teachers and pastors) and the interpretations we give to them together with the emotions we have towards them influence the way we behave”, he noted. These dynamics, according to Mr. Ackom combine to either make us health or unhealthy. Ms. Victoria Acquaye told the audience that social factors form part of the multiple factors that maintain mental health. “Social factors can also contribute to the development of mental illness of the individual”. Ms. Acquaye who is a lecturer at the Department of Mental Health, however said the same social factors could also be used to treat persons with mental illness to become well again. The workshop was graced by the Provost, College of Health and Allied Sciences, Rev. Prof. Harold Amonoo-Kuofi and the Dean, School of Medical Sciences, Prof. Francis W. Ofei.

The Account Manager of Elsevier, Mr. Sherif Ghazy, has advised researchers to make their publications known to the world. According to him, research plays an important role in influencing the visibility of academic institutions and researchers across the globe. Mr. Ghazy said this when he took Senior Members of the University through Research Output of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) from 2011 to 2016. Giving the breakdown of UCC’s research performance from 2011 to 2016, he lauded the University for the sustainability of its international collaborations, both locally and globally. In terms of research output according to disciplines, Mr. Ghazy said the medical sciences were in the lead followed by the Social Sciences, Agriculture and Biological Sciences Mr. Ghazy used the occasion to mention top authors in the University who had written numerous publications which were visible across the world, spanning from 2011 to 2016, with the first author having 32 publications. The Account Manager disclosed that stakeholders in university rankings considered a number of factors including teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income for ranking universities in the world. "About 85 per cent of Students find university rankings as important in their selection of institutions to study." he stressed. Mr. Ghazy further explained the concept of Scopus and Scival which he said offered quick, easy access to the research performance of 8,500 research institutions and 220 nations worldwide. Suggesting ways of improving the visibility of UCC, Mr. Ghazy said the University should get a glance snapshot of the University’s research performance; benchmark its performance against peers and create model test scenarios by creating virtual teams and newly emerging research areas. He further indicated that UCC should establish collaborative partnerships locally and globally, as well as tracking and monitoring to stay up-to-date with changes in the research market. Elsevier is the world leading information analytical company, specialised in science and technology.

International students have been called upon to contest for leadership positions in the University. The Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Koawo Edjah, who made the call, said there was no law in the University that prevented international students from contesting for electable positions. "...Many a time, I say that the grounds are open for our international students to even contest leadership positions in the University, especially those who come for 8/8," he said, referring to international students who pursue a four-year academic programme in the University." Prof. Edjah was speaking during an annual dinner organised by the Centre for International Education (CIE) for international students of the University to unwind themselves to round off the academic year. The event was also used to reward hardworking foreign students who had excelled in the areas of academics and comported themselves on campus. The Dean of Students,who chaired the occasion, urged them to showcase their cultures in the University, while advising them to respect the rules and regulations governing the University. The Director of CIE, Prof. Rosemond Boohene, advised them to make good friends and build networks on campus. She urged the students to make good use of every golden opportunity in their lives whilst on campus. Prof. Boohene called on the students, especially the final year students, not to turn a blind eye on the Centre in all their endeavours. The Director of Academic Affairs, Mr. Jeff Onyame, charged the students to pursue excellence and take their studies seriously. He encouraged foreign students with a Cumulative Grade Points Average (CGPA) of 3.5 and above not to be complacent, but work assiduously to consolidate their positions and advised other students to redouble their efforts in order to achieve similar heights. The students of the Department of Music and Dance spiced up the occasion with some good music and cultural performance. Present at the function was the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. G K. T. Oduro, who was the Guest of Honour.

Students from the Department of Basic Education, of the Faculty of Education Foundations, University of Cape Coast (UCC) have embarked on a day’s education exhibition to showcase their knowledge and skills acquired in the fields of Basic Education and Early Childhood Education. The annual event, which is mostly held in the second semester of the academic year was heavily patronised by staff and students of the University and members of the Cape Coast community, who walked through the exhibition stands in amazement. In all, 400 Students studying the courses, ‘Creative Art, Music and Drama’, ‘Development of Instructional Materials’ and ‘Play and Integrated Curriculum’, took part in the exhibition. This year’s exhibition showcased over 200 Teaching and Learning Aids made from a variety of materials, Learning Centres set-up designs and art works produced by the students in levels 100, 200 and 300. Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Awo Sarpong, Lecturer and exhibition coordinator said the focus of the exhibition was to offer students the opportunity to showcase acquired knowledge and skills in their respective courses of study. Dr Sarpong said the exhibition also formed part of the Department’s agenda to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the Cape Coast metropolis, through its ‘Cape Coast Basic Schools Development Partnerships programme’ – a community service of the Department, which, in addition to a number of other education support services donates free Teaching Aids to its partner schools and under-privileged schools in Cape Coast. These include: UCC Kindergarten and Primary, Apewosika, Kwaprow and the University Interdenominational Schools, Jacob Wilson Sey school, Imam Khomeini school, and others. All the materials exhibited will be distributed to the respective schools in a ceremony to be held in June.