The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has held an International Symposium as part of
activities heralding the peak of the 60 th anniversary celebration of the University.
On the theme, “60 Years of Quality Education, Expanding the Frontiers: Experiences
and Lessons from International Partners”, the event was organized by the Office of the
International Relations of UCC.
The President of Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) in Israel, Dr. Joseph
Shevel, speaking as the keynoter at the event, indicated that education was the bedrock
of the development of every country and urged Ghana to increase education and
investment to unlock the potentials of its youth.
He admitted that “Education is a problematic field for politics because we see the results
of education usually in the next generation but politicians want to see the results before
the next elections.”
Touching on agriculture, he predicted that Ghana’s water bodies could be adversely
affected by global warming and called on the leadership of the country to take
immediate steps to forestall any calamity.
In the midst of abundant rainfall and water bodies, he expressed shocked that only a
paltry 50 per cent of Ghana’s population was into agriculture, the mainstay of the
Ghanaian economy, but contributing only 20 per cent to the GDP.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, in his welcome address,
stressed the need for tertiary institutions to establish global partnerships in order to
create mutually beneficial relationships.
He said it was through such international partnerships that culminated into UCC
becoming the first University in Ghana, West Africa and fourth in Africa.
“So indeed, working closely with our strategic partners, has helped the University of
Cape Coast to become the number one University not only in Ghana and in West Africa,
but the 4 th on the continent. In terms of our research influence, we are at the 24th
position; at least we are making progress” the Vice-Chancellor added.
Prof. Nyarko Boampong indicated that such partnerships had helped the university to
get grants, citing the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences’ partnership with
USAID as a key example.
Present at the symposium were delegations from the Bucknell University, University of
Cincinnati, University of Rhode Island, University of Limerick, Millersville, and
International Fellowship of Korea.
The delegations, in turn, shared their best practices with UCC, as well as ways UCC
could adopt to remain competitive in the world.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC