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16 Nov, 2017

In support of the Government of Ghana’s (GoG) initiatives on food security, the United States Government (USG) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting a five-year capacity building program for fisheries and coastal management in Ghana. The project contributes to GoG’s overall grand fisheries and coastal development objectives and USAID’s Feed the Future (FtF) Initiative, the USG led global hunger and food security project designed to enhance economic growth in beneficiary countries. In this context, the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (DFAS) at the University of Cape Coast is leading the USAID Capacity Building Support Program for the Fisheries and Coastal Development sub-component. The extension activities under the project are earmarked towards operationalising the Centre for Coastal Management at the University of Cape Coast.

In respect of these initiatives, the project is seeking experts, organizations or practitioners having relevant professional backgrounds with proven track records from universities, research institutions, NGOs and the private sector in Ghana for collaborative work with the project in the following five (5) thematic areas:

I. Activity 1: Engage policy makers to address coastal and fisheries issues
II. Activity 2: Conduct research and assessment on marine fisheries governance issues
III. Activity 3: Run short-term professional training courses on integrated coastal zone management, fisheries management, climate change adaptation and geographic information systems
IV. Activity 4: Undertake activities towards operationalization of the Centre for Coastal Management
V. Activity 5: Monitor the biodiversity and health of coastal ecosystems

ACTIVITY 1: ENGAGING POLICY MAKERS TO ADDRESS COASTAL AND FISHERIES ISSUES


PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE
Strengthen inter-agency collaboration for the sustainable management of fisheries and other coastal resources by working closely with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), Fisheries Commission (FC) and other relevant government agencies.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

  • Engage government, development partners, civil society organizations and private sector institutions with the goal of establishing a fisheries and coastal management sector working group. The working group will advise government on the development and implementation of policies, strategies and programmes to address the challenges of the sector. For a start, the group will advise government on the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the communique from the Conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment (2017) and use the issuance of government’s red alert on all forms of illegal fishing in Ghana as a basis.
  • Engage with government to establish an inter-ministerial/agency coordination platform to support the design and implementation of broad programmes for fisheries and coastal management reforms.
  • Set up governance, management and membership structures for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Society of Ghana. The facilitator should convene meetings of the interim management commitee of the society. The facilitator should also ensure the establishment of permanent board and management committee. The facilitator should set up formal structures for the registration of members and engage stakeholders to promote membership of the society. Again, the facilitator will be expected to review and ensure the adoption of the draft Constitution of the Society
  • Plan towards the second conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment in 2019.
  • Set up an editorial board and review processes for the Society’s journal in line with requirements of African Journal Online (AJOL)
  • Establish the structures for the Journal of the Society in collaboration with the Society.
  • Facilitate the publication of the maiden edition of the journal based on proceedings of the Accra Conference, 2017.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

  • Fisheries and Coastal Management Sector working group established
  • Inter-ministerial and agency platform for fisheries and coastal management established
  • Governance, management and membership structures for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Society established
  • Meeting of interim commitee of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Society convened
  • Draft Constitution of the Society reviewed and adopted
  • Members of the Society registered
  • Inter-agency platform strengthened
  • Second conference on fisheries and coastal conference for 2019 planned
  • Editorial board for the journal established in line with requirements of AJOL
  • Maiden edition of the journal based on proceedings of the Accra Conference published.

ACTIVITY 2: CONDUCTING RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT ON MARINE FISHERIES GOVERNANCE ISSUES


PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE
To facilitate the decentralization of Ghana’s fisheries management processes based on documented scientific information for advocacy to improve fisheries governance practices. This is expected to be achieved by working closely with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), and the Fisheries Commission (FC), fishing communities, traditional authority, District Assemblies and other stakeholders.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

  • Identify district and community level constraints and opportunities in the governance and management of fisheries and coastal resources. Currently district assemblies are not directly involved in fisheries governance.
  • Strengthen the advocacy capacity of journalists, research institutions, think-tanks and civil society groups for sustainable management of fisheries and coastal resources. The facilitator will strengthen the capacity of these groups to monitor and dialogue with relevant government agencies on the enforcement of policies, laws and reforms.
  • Create a platform for stakeholders that include journalists, MoFAD, FC, MMDAs, NDPC, etc. to advocate for the inclusion of fisheries and coastal issues into government policy/initiatives such as the Coastal Development Authority, the Fisheries Act currently under review, NDPC medium term development plan, and the involvement of District Assemblies in fisheries governance. Focus on supporting and identifying strategic partnerships with national organisations with the desire and ability to influence national reform agendas.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

  • District and community level constraints in fisheries and coastal management identified and addressed through advocacy actions
  • Capacity of journalists, research institutions, think-tanks and civil society groups to undertake advocacy activities significantly increased
  • Management strategies identified, evaluated and disseminated among stakeholders
  • Roles and responsibilities at the community, district, region and national levels clarified in fisheries management
  • Proposals for district bye-laws in fisheries for landing sites developed
  • Collaborations with media strengthened
  • Research assessments completed

ACTIVITY 3: TRAININGS ON INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT, FISHERIES MANAGEMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS


PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE
This activity will seek to optimize facilitation services to the highest standards of delivery and strengthen UCC’s internal capacity for running short courses into the future. One (1) facilitator will be hired to introduce best practices in all the training courses and standardize technical delivery in the classroom and field activities, course programs, certifications and other outcomes. This option will ensure cost savings. The facilitator will be tasked to develop modalities for logistics planning and establish modalities for sustained funding on fee-payment basis. Guidelines to project the training programs locally and internationally will be developed.
To this end, the facilitator will provide support services to run short courses covering technical and relevant contextual aspects for Ghana’s coastal areas. The courses will target professionals actively engaged in the field of integrated coastal management, fisheries management, climate change adaptation and geographic information systems or individuals whose work is increasingly affected by issues of fisheries, development and physical planning in coastal areas.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The assigned facilitator will coordinate various services in the following areas:

  • Use existing training manuals on the courses to build the capacity of district, regional or national level stakeholders, and professionals working in Ghana’s fisheries and coastal economies to steer fisheries and coastal development processes towards key outcomes. Participants will be selected from respondents to advertisements (for fee-paying participants) and nominations from relevant institutions for which funding will be provided.
  • Coordinate all communications on the workshop and provide media communication covering print and electronic outlets
  • Compile all materials including PowerPoint presentations of modules, videos, charts and other materials needed for classroom, laboratory and field exercises
  • Facilitate the training workshop, evaluation and reporting on the project.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS
The key products of this assignment are:

  • A 5-day training using published manuals and PowerPoint presentations, classroom discussions, video interactions as well as related laboratory and field excursions delivered.
  • Trainers in the different subjects from within and outside the University of Cape Coast identified.

ACTIVITY 4: OPERATIONALIZATION OF THE CENTRE FOR COASTAL MANAGEMENT


PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE
To facilitate the development of the next five-year strategic plan (2017-2022) for the Centre for Coastal Management (CCM) with a strong community-based coastal resources/ marine environmental management and outreach component.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
This assignment is in two parts, meant to create and expand opportunities for meaningful educational and outreach programs in marine fisheries and coastal resources management. First, the project is desirous of supporting CCM to develop a five-year strategic plan (2017-2022) to direct activities of the Centre into the future. The second part will secure the services of an architect or physical planner to work with advise from the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB), Ministry of Tourism (MoT), and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) and other experts from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to develop a concept for an outreach and community-based program for the Centre for Coastal Management.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

  • A five-year strategic plan developed to include human, managerial, technical capacity and other logistical needs
  • A concept for a community-based Centre for Coastal Management developed to deepen CCM’s technical and outreach programs

ACTIVITY 5: MONITOR THE BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTH OF COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS


PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE
Strengthen collaboration with the local government agencies and other stakeholders responsible for the highly degraded lagoon at Half Assini and advocate for necessary bye-laws for its wise use and conservation. Meanwhile, ecological monitoring by experts will continue to acquire comprehensive baseline data on the lagoon. This program has the intended goal of supporting the government to achieve its fisheries development objectives of poverty reduction, food security and sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
a) Contribute to the development of bye-laws by the District Assembly to protect the lagoon with the active involvement of the community members.
b) Advocate for the creation of a buffer zone of about 5-10m around the lagoon and plant wetland vegetation native to the area.
c) Provide a skip to the community for waste collection
d) Dialogue and obtain commitment of the community and the District Assembly on the siting and regular emptying of the skip.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

  • Strategies including the creation of bye-laws to restore the lagoon at Half Assini achieved
  • A skip for collection of refuse provided
  • Advocacy for creation of a buffer zone around the lagoon done
  • Information on biodiversity of fish, benthic invertebrates and other fauna, as well as mangroves and other flora documented
  • Physical and chemical environmental parameters of the Half Assini lagoon documented
  • Results on advocacy, scientific study and community sanitation presented at a forum for stakeholders at the District Assembly

 

PROPOSAL EVALUATION GUIDELINES:

 

Quality of Technical Approach:

  • Technical details: Content and methodical approaches must be clearly articulated. Present a thorough understanding of the activity and how to operationalize the work.
  • Long-term Sustainability: The extent to which the activity will be sustainable over the long term without continued external support will be required to be known.
  • Innovative Concept: The degree of innovation must be evident in the proposal and the prospect of adoption of the innovation by stakeholders.

Past Performance and Management Capacity:

  • Evidence of the capability to undertake and accomplish the proposed activities. The proposal should demonstrate the applicant’s effectiveness in previous projects including technical capacity, and key personnel, in meeting activity goals.
  • Have experience working with universities in the implementation of programs.
  • Have demonstrated capacity to monitor and implement activities and fulfill reporting and documentation requirements

Cost Management:

  • Prospective applicants should demonstrate ability to manage funding and capacity for accountability and program implementation.
  • Appropriateness and reasonability of stated costs, compared with the approach laid out in the technical proposal.
  • Establish understanding of current costs in Ghana, reflected in the budget narrative by a description of how costs were calculated.

MODE OF APPLICATION:


Interested applicants must submit a technical proposal and budget, in English, not exceeding 15 pages in length. Application may be submitted in electronic format (via email: ccm@ucc.edu.gh) or hard copy by EXPRESS MAIL to the address below and should reference Activity Number,

Addressed to:
The Project Manager,
USAID/UCC Fisheries and Coastal management Capacity Building Support Project,
Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences,
School of Biological Sciences,
College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.

CLOSING DATE/ SELECTION/ APPOINTMENT:


Closing Date: Friday 8th December, 2017. Applications must be submitted no later than 11pm local time. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted for further interaction soon after the closing date.
Notification or award: 20th December, 2017.
Appointment Date: January, 2018.

 

announcement_usaid_ucc_0.pdf

Vice-Chancellor Interacts with Delegation From Jiangsu University

15 Nov, 2017 By louis Mensah

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has met with a five-member delegation from the Jiangsu University, China, to explore further academic opportunities that would inure to the benefits of the two institutions. In August 2014, the Jiangsu University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Cape Coast (UCC) primarily to offer half tuition scholarships to some faculty members of UCC to pursue doctoral programmes. However, some aspects in the MoU have not been given the needed attention. To this end, the delegation, led by the Vice-President of Jiangsu University, Prof. Mei Quiang, called on the Vice-Chancellor to discuss and also look at the expansion of the collaboration to cover other areas of interest to both parties. Speaking through an Interpreter, Prof.  Quiang emphasized that Jiangsu University puts premium on internationalisation as its core development strategy to achieve its vision.As a result, he disclosed that about 400 Ghanaian students were currently pursuing graduate studies at the University and also added that this included over 10 PhD students from UCC.He announced that his University would offer scholarships to faculty members of UCC to undertake their post doctoral programmes and said that the beneficiaries would be provided the needed support to do their work. He noted that Jiangsu University would be glad to enter into partnership with UCC in the area of scientific research to build capacities of faculty members of both universities.Touching on student exchange programme, Prof.  Quiang asked UCC to present a proposal on the areas of academic disciplines it was interested to collaborate with his University. He revealed that many African students, including Ghanaians, were pursuing various academic programmes  at the School of Medical Sciences of the Jiangsu University. Addressing the delegation, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah expressed gratitude to Prof. Mei Quiang and his delegation for the visit and indicated that the collaboration would help boost the academic opportunities of the two institutions. He said UCC would study the post doctoral programmes of Jiangsu University and to determine available areas for faculty to pursue and added that the University would  equally be appreciative to receive masters, PhD and  post doctoral students from Jiangsu University for academic visits. That, he noted, would be mutually collaborative to strengthen the academic ties between UCC and Jiangsu University. The Vice-Chancellor told the delegation that UCC had a reputable School of Medical Sciences (SMS) and indicated that UCC SMS  was ready to share academic experiences with the SMS of  Jiangsu University so as to produce quality medical professionals to enhance healthcare delivery in their respective countries. “We have a good SMS in UCC and we would like to share experiences with you. I will be very happy to promote a strong collaboration between your SMS and UCC SMS”, Prof. Ampiah said. Prof. Mei Quiang was accompanied on the visit by Prof. Xu Wenrong, Prof. Li Yaoming, Prof. Lin Tongjun and Jill Lee.  The Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan; the Dean of the Center for International Education (CIE), Prof. Rosemond Boohene, the Director of Academic Affairs, Mr. Jeff Onyame; a Senior Assistant Registrar at the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Mrs. Georgina Asi Owusu; the Assistant Registrar at the Directorate of Public Affairs, Mr. Felix Adu-Poku and a Junior Assistant Registrar at the CIE, Mr. Alfred Ghartey, were present during the meeting.  

Vice-Chancellor Interacts with Delegation From Jiangsu University

15 Nov, 2017 By louis Mensah

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has met with a five-member delegation from the Jiangsu University, China, to explore further academic opportunities that would inure to the benefits of the two institutions.

In August 2014, the Jiangsu University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Cape Coast (UCC) primarily to offer half tuition scholarships to some faculty members of UCC to pursue doctoral programmes. However, some aspects in the MoU have not been given the needed attention.

To this end, the delegation, led by the Vice-President of Jiangsu University, Prof. Mei Quiang, called on the Vice-Chancellor to discuss and also look at the expansion of the collaboration to cover other areas of interest to both parties.

Speaking through an Interpreter, Prof.  Quiang emphasized that Jiangsu University puts premium on internationalisation as its core development strategy to achieve its vision.As a result, he disclosed that about 400 Ghanaian students were currently pursuing graduate studies at the University and also added that this included over 10 PhD students from UCC.He announced that his University would offer scholarships to faculty members of UCC to undertake their post doctoral programmes and said that the beneficiaries would be provided the needed support to do their work.

He noted that Jiangsu University would be glad to enter into partnership with UCC in the area of scientific research to build capacities of faculty members of both universities.Touching on student exchange programme, Prof.  Quiang asked UCC to present a proposal on the areas of academic disciplines it was interested to collaborate with his University. He revealed that many African students, including Ghanaians, were pursuing various academic programmes  at the School of Medical Sciences of the Jiangsu University.

Addressing the delegation, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah expressed gratitude to Prof. Mei Quiang and his delegation for the visit and indicated that the collaboration would help boost the academic opportunities of the two institutions. He said UCC would study the post doctoral programmes of Jiangsu University and to determine available areas for faculty to pursue and added that the University would  equally be appreciative to receive masters, PhD and  post doctoral students from Jiangsu University for academic visits.

That, he noted, would be mutually collaborative to strengthen the academic ties between UCC and Jiangsu University. The Vice-Chancellor told the delegation that UCC had a reputable School of Medical Sciences (SMS) and indicated that UCC SMS  was ready to share academic experiences with the SMS of  Jiangsu University so as to produce quality medical professionals to enhance healthcare delivery in their respective countries.

“We have a good SMS in UCC and we would like to share experiences with you. I will be very happy to promote a strong collaboration between your SMS and UCC SMS”, Prof. Ampiah said.

Prof. Mei Quiang was accompanied on the visit by Prof. Xu Wenrong, Prof. Li Yaoming, Prof. Lin Tongjun and Jill Lee. 

The Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan; the Dean of the Center for International Education (CIE), Prof. Rosemond Boohene, the Director of Academic Affairs, Mr. Jeff Onyame; a Senior Assistant Registrar at the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Mrs. Georgina Asi Owusu; the Assistant Registrar at the Directorate of Public Affairs, Mr. Felix Adu-Poku and a Junior Assistant Registrar at the CIE, Mr. Alfred Ghartey, were present during the meeting.
 

Administration

Nation Builders Launches "Help A Child Read Project"

10 Nov, 2017 By louis Mensah

A non-governmental organisation, Nation Builders, has launched a project dubbed " Help a Child Read " at the Archbishop Amissah Memorial School at Duakor, a fishing community near the University.  The project is aimed at inculcating the culture of reading into school children to improve learning outcomes. As part of the launch, Nation Builders donated assorted reading books to the school.  Nation Builders, established by some undergraduate and M.Phil students of the University of Cape Coast, is also expected to expand the project across schools in the Central region.  The Pro- Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro, who launched the project, commended the Nation Builders for the unique initiative and called on  stakeholders to give support to the project to achieve its aim. Touching on the philosophy underlying  Nation Builder's activities, he said, " there is one thing I find and that is "Changing the Mindset of Ghanaians".  According to him, Ghanaians had developed a mindset of self-centeredness, sectionalism, tribalism and  partisanship, and asked Ghanaians to do away with such negative tendencies. Rather, he called  on Ghanaians to have a positive mindset towards the nation by exuding the values of  patriotism,selflessness,voluteerism and nationalism.  Prof. Oduro noted that the spirit of volunteerism among Ghanaians, especially the youth, was gradually dying. He advised that" If the school system can help reactivate this spirit of volunteerism among our younger ones then reading becomes a crucial thing we need to invest in." “Without reading, children would find it extremely difficult to read and understand the issues the media project on television”, he emphasized. Prof. Oduro stressed that reading was critical to national development irrespective of the job or profession. He said children must be encouraged to read books to enable them to build  themselves morally, spiritually, physically,socially and mentally towards nation building. The Pro- Vice-Chancellor said:” Children should read books that would help them develop spirit of cohesion, co-existence and volunteerism. He advised parents to discourage their children from indulging in acts that were inimical to the development of the nation, especially "things that are divisive by nature".  The patron of Nation Builders, Mr. Stephen Doh fia,  in a remark, said reading was one of the habits of serious students, hence the huge investment by education stakeholders. He called on the public to support the reading agenda, noting that " education experts have said that, there is a strong correlation between reading and academic performance”. He advised parents, teachers and other stakeholders in education " to encourage and guide children to read, doing this will help our country to grow and develop."  The Headmaster of the School, Mr. Justin Ekor, thanked  Nation Builders for the gesture. He assured the leadership of Nation Builders that the books would be put to good use to enable the pupils to read wide. He appealed to benevolent individuals and organizations to come to the aid of the school to put up an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Center. Hardworking pupils of the school were awarded for their academic performance. The pupils also entertained the audience with poetry recitals.

Nation Builders Launches "Help A Child Read Project"

10 Nov, 2017 By louis Mensah

A non-governmental organisation, Nation Builders, has launched a project dubbed " Help a Child Read " at the Archbishop Amissah Memorial School at Duakor, a fishing community near the University. 

The project is aimed at inculcating the culture of reading into school children to improve learning outcomes. As part of the launch, Nation Builders donated assorted reading books to the school.  Nation Builders, established by some undergraduate and M.Phil students of the University of Cape Coast, is also expected to expand the project across schools in the Central region.

 The Pro- Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro, who launched the project, commended the Nation Builders for the unique initiative and called on  stakeholders to give support to the project to achieve its aim. Touching on the philosophy underlying  Nation Builder's activities, he said, " there is one thing I find and that is "Changing the Mindset of Ghanaians".

 According to him, Ghanaians had developed a mindset of self-centeredness, sectionalism, tribalism and  partisanship, and asked Ghanaians to do away with such negative tendencies. Rather, he called  on Ghanaians to have a positive mindset towards the nation by exuding the values of  patriotism,selflessness,voluteerism and nationalism.

 Prof. Oduro noted that the spirit of volunteerism among Ghanaians, especially the youth, was gradually dying. He advised that" If the school system can help reactivate this spirit of volunteerism among our younger ones then reading becomes a crucial thing we need to invest in." “Without reading, children would find it extremely difficult to read and understand the issues the media project on television”, he emphasized.

Prof. Oduro stressed that reading was critical to national development irrespective of the job or profession. He said children must be encouraged to read books to enable them to build  themselves morally, spiritually, physically,socially and mentally towards nation building.


The Pro- Vice-Chancellor said:” Children should read books that would help them develop spirit of cohesion, co-existence and volunteerism. He advised parents to discourage their children from indulging in acts that were inimical to the development of the nation, especially "things that are divisive by nature".

 The patron of Nation Builders, Mr. Stephen Doh fia,  in a remark, said reading was one of the habits of serious students, hence the huge investment by education stakeholders. He called on the public to support the reading agenda, noting that " education experts have said that, there is a strong correlation between reading and academic performance”. He advised parents, teachers and other stakeholders in education " to encourage and guide children to read, doing this will help our country to grow and develop."

 The Headmaster of the School, Mr. Justin Ekor, thanked  Nation Builders for the gesture. He assured the leadership of Nation Builders that the books would be put to good use to enable the pupils to read wide. He appealed to benevolent individuals and organizations to come to the aid of the school to put up an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Center.

Hardworking pupils of the school were awarded for their academic performance. The pupils also entertained the audience with poetry recitals.

News

Faculty of Arts Holds Public Lecture on African Economic Integration

10 Nov, 2017 By louis Mensah

The Dean of Academic Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Prof. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has noted that African countries could attain the vision of integration amongst themselves by utilizing opportunities such as political union, economic union, common market, customs union and free trade. He mentioned bad governance, lack of trait transformational leaders, high dependence of Africa Union on European countries for funding, instability, and many others, as some of the factors that have contributed to the economic woes of the African continent.   Delivering a public lecture on the theme, “New Opportunities for Economic Integration in Africa in the Era of Ultra-Nationalist Movements in Europe and North America”, Prof. Antwi-Danso observed that global nationalism was as a result of unresolved colonial mistakes, post-cold war realities, failure of multi-culturalism, political economy of integration and the cost of multilateralism and rise in unilateralism. He touched on global disintegration and the burning desire for some cities to secede from countries, citing several examples to back his argument, including Catalonia to secede from Spain, Scotland from the United Kingdom, California from the US, Hong Kong from China, amongst others. He added that “the intensification for such desires in the 21st century has little to do with geo-politics and much more to do with what Dani Rodrick has termed the ‘Trilemmas of Globalization”.   Prof. Antwi-Danso averred that “the failure of Global liberalism, spiced with the hiccups in Global governance and exacerbated by failures of the integration is to be blamed for the current situation”. He said Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Boko Haram were the two terrorist organisations which occupy 60% of the world casualties. According to him, Boko Haram was one of the dangerous terrorist group in the world. Giving statistics obtained in 2014, he revealed that the number of attacks by Boko Haram was 453, resulting in 6,634 deaths and 1,742 injuries. On ISIS, he disclosed that the number of atrocities was 1,071 out of which 6,073 deaths were recorded. He also revealed that had it not been the timely intervention of his outfit, some three Ghanaian young ladies would have joined ISIS. “About a month ago, my outfit had to halt some three girls in Bawku who were going to work for ISIS,” he said.   Prof. Antwi-Danso said terrorist organizations doled out a lot of money to their recruits, disclosing that even a cook earns about $ 250 a day and those at the war front earn around $ 640 a day. He singled out Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, as the only head of state with trait of transformational leader who had turned the fortunes of his country. He, therefore, called on other African leaders to emulate the Rwandan leader. The lecture was chaired by Dr. (Lawyer) K. Addo Tuffour, a Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Development Studies (IDS).  

Faculty of Arts Holds Public Lecture on African Economic Integration

10 Nov, 2017 By louis Mensah

The Dean of Academic Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Prof. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has noted that African countries could attain the vision of integration amongst themselves by utilizing opportunities such as political union, economic union, common market, customs union and free trade.

He mentioned bad governance, lack of trait transformational leaders, high dependence of Africa Union on European countries for funding, instability, and many others, as some of the factors that have contributed to the economic woes of the African continent.
 
Delivering a public lecture on the theme, “New Opportunities for Economic Integration in Africa in the Era of Ultra-Nationalist Movements in Europe and North America”, Prof. Antwi-Danso observed that global nationalism was as a result of unresolved colonial mistakes, post-cold war realities, failure of multi-culturalism, political economy of integration and the cost of multilateralism and rise in unilateralism.

He touched on global disintegration and the burning desire for some cities to secede from countries, citing several examples to back his argument, including Catalonia to secede from Spain, Scotland from the United Kingdom, California from the US, Hong Kong from China, amongst others. He added that “the intensification for such desires in the 21st century has little to do with geo-politics and much more to do with what Dani Rodrick has termed the ‘Trilemmas of Globalization”.
 
Prof. Antwi-Danso averred that “the failure of Global liberalism, spiced with the hiccups in Global governance and exacerbated by failures of the integration is to be blamed for the current situation”. He said Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Boko Haram were the two terrorist organisations which occupy 60% of the world casualties.
According to him, Boko Haram was one of the dangerous terrorist group in the world. Giving statistics obtained in 2014, he revealed that the number of attacks by Boko Haram was 453, resulting in 6,634 deaths and 1,742 injuries. On ISIS, he disclosed that the number of atrocities was 1,071 out of which 6,073 deaths were recorded. He also revealed that had it not been the timely intervention of his outfit, some three Ghanaian young ladies would have joined ISIS. “About a month ago, my outfit had to halt some three girls in Bawku who were going to work for ISIS,” he said.
 
Prof. Antwi-Danso said terrorist organizations doled out a lot of money to their recruits, disclosing that even a cook earns about $ 250 a day and those at the war front earn around $ 640 a day. He singled out Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, as the only head of state with trait of transformational leader who had turned the fortunes of his country. He, therefore, called on other African leaders to emulate the Rwandan leader.

The lecture was chaired by Dr. (Lawyer) K. Addo Tuffour, a Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Development Studies (IDS).
 

News

Dept. of Communication Studies Signs MoU with Uppsala University

10 Nov, 2017 By louis Mensah

The Department of Communication Studies has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)  with the Department of Literature at Uppsala University, Sweden, to strengthen research work, promote developmental outreach and, cross cultural knowledge and understanding among staff, faculty and students of both institutions.    Other areas of the collaboration include exchange of students, exchange of faculty, collaborative research projects and curriculum development, exchange academic materials and published information. Also the two partners would jointly organise conferences, seminars, academic interactive sessions and professional development programmes, provide exchange internship opportunities for qualified students of the two universities and joint supervision of post-graduate projects and theses.   The Pro-Vice- Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro, signed on behalf of UCC, while the Head of the Department of Literature at the Uppsala University, Dr. Patrick Mehrens, appended on behalf of Uppsala University. Speaking at the ceremony, the Head of the Department of Communication Studies, Dr. Eric Opoku-Mensah, said the preparations for the collaboration started last year following an invitation extended  to him to participate in an international conference on rhetoric at Uppsala University. In light of this, he said the Department seized the opportunity to engage their counterparts on how to collaborate to champion rhetoric, which happens to be an emerging discipline in Africa.    Welcoming the delegation, Prof. George K.T. Oduro, said the University was interested in fruitful collaborations, adding that "globally, universities are facing huge challenges and  no single university can cope with those challenges". He added that the collaboration between the two institutions would enhance mutual learning opportunities.    On his part, Dr. Patrick Mehrens gave a firm assurance of his Department’s commitment  to make the partnership successful.   Present at the ceremony were the Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan; the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh and some senior lecturers at the Department of Communication Studies.   Accompanying Dr. Patrick Mehrens were Prof. Mats Rosengren, the Chair of Rhetoric, Miss Louisa Therkildsen, a PhD student, and Erik Bengtson, all at the Department of Literature.

Lecturer Proposes Computational Chemistry Programme in Tertiary Instititutions

10 Nov, 2017 By louis Mensah

A lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Albert Ofori, has proposed to tertiary institutions to consider introducing Computational Chemistry as a degree programme to assist in solving chemical problems.

According to him, the old ways of solving chemical problems at laboratories was not  the best and, therefore, computational chemistry would help students with the tools to interpret experiments and understand chemical mechanism to make predictions that would guide future experiments. He said such a course would enable students apply existing computer programs and methodologies to specific chemical questions.

Dr. Ofori said this while delivering a lecture on the topic “Inter-and Intramolecular Interactions in the Stabilization of Metal Complexes: Computational Studies.” The lecture was organised by the School of Physical Sciences as part of its monthly lecture series.

He indicated that through computational chemistry, pharmaceutical industry, for instance, should be able to produce drugs that would heal exact medical conditions considering the gravity of a patient's  health. He further explained that “ for example, the computational chemistry can now define these problems in the pharmaceutical world and now they are developing drugs to target the broken tissues instead of having a combined medicine.... "

He said the introduction of Computation Chemistry would help faculty members to be innovative at the laboratory through the use of computers.

In another development, some past students of the Department of Physics in Finland have donated a 3D Printer to the Department.

The donation was a follow up to an earlier promise made by the past students by the Head of the group, Mr. Kofi J. Brobbey who also delivered a lecture in May 2017.

The Head of the Department, Dr. Benjamin Anderson, who presented the equipment on behalf of the students, thanked the past students for the donation.  He called on other old students to support the Department in their own little way, adding that “ the Department would appreciate it very much”.

On his part, the Vice-Dean of the School of Physical Sciences, Prof. Rulphino Zugle, who received the item, expressed gratitude to the old students and assured them that the equipment would be put to good use so as to prolong its lifespan.

Lecturer Proposes Computational Chemistry Programme in Tertiary Instititutions

10 Nov, 2017 By louis Mensah

A lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Albert Ofori, has proposed to tertiary institutions to consider introducing Computational Chemistry as a degree programme to assist in solving chemical problems.

According to him, the old ways of solving chemical problems at laboratories was not  the best and, therefore, computational chemistry would help students with the tools to interpret experiments and understand chemical mechanism to make predictions that would guide future experiments. He said such a course would enable students apply existing computer programs and methodologies to specific chemical questions.

Dr. Ofori said this while delivering a lecture on the topic “Inter-and Intramolecular Interactions in the Stabilization of Metal Complexes: Computational Studies.” The lecture was organised by the School of Physical Sciences as part of its monthly lecture series.

He indicated that through computational chemistry, pharmaceutical industry, for instance, should be able to produce drugs that would heal exact medical conditions considering the gravity of a patient's  health. He further explained that “ for example, the computational chemistry can now define these problems in the pharmaceutical world and now they are developing drugs to target the broken tissues instead of having a combined medicine.... "

He said the introduction of Computation Chemistry would help faculty members to be innovative at the laboratory through the use of computers.

In another development, some past students of the Department of Physics in Finland have donated a 3D Printer to the Department.

The donation was a follow up to an earlier promise made by the past students by the Head of the group, Mr. Kofi J. Brobbey who also delivered a lecture in May 2017.

The Head of the Department, Dr. Benjamin Anderson, who presented the equipment on behalf of the students, thanked the past students for the donation.  He called on other old students to support the Department in their own little way, adding that “ the Department would appreciate it very much”.

On his part, the Vice-Dean of the School of Physical Sciences, Prof. Rulphino Zugle, who received the item, expressed gratitude to the old students and assured them that the equipment would be put to good use so as to prolong its lifespan.

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