The Centre for Teaching Support (CTS) has organized a two (2)-day workshop for all academic staff in the Faculty of Science and Technology Education of the College of Education Studies. The workshop took place at the College of Education Studies Computer Lab on Tuesday, 31st January and Wednesday, 1st February, 2017. Participants were taken through the importance of ICT and how its use can be promoted in trainees’ academic practices. The training was to ensure that all trainees acquire an understanding of; University Rankings and the indicators for ranking universities, the benefits of using Institutional email addresses and staff blogging, Professional Learning Networks, the use of Google Scholar, and the use of MOODLE as an E-learning tool. Participants were taken through series of exercises, discussion groups were formed, presentations were made and workshop materials were given at the end of the training. Trainees expressed their joy for the opportunity given to them to attend the workshop.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K.T Oduro, on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has inaugurated the newly-elected Board of Convocation to serve a two-year term of office.

The Board is chaired by Prof. Peter K.T Grant and includes Mr. Joseph A. Kizzie-Hayford, Vice-Chairman; Dr. Edem K. Baka, Teaching Representative.

Other members of the Board are Dr. Patrick Osei Kuffour, Teaching Representative; Ms. Joyce Sam, Non-Teaching Representative and Mr. Francis Obeng, Non-Teaching Representative.

In a brief remarks at the inauguration, Prof. George K.T Oduro, congratulated the newly-elected members on their election.

He said Convocation plays crucial role in deepening the internal structures and the semi-autonomous identity of the University.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor urged members of Convocation to improve on their watchdog roles and be bold to express their views during Convocation so as to put management of the University on its toes in the formulation and implementation of policies.

He urged members to criticize management constructively devoid of insults and vilifications.

“We want constructive criticisms but characterised by respect,” he said.

Prof. Oduro assured members of Convocation that the Vice-Chancellor would not renege in his open door administration and would give sympathetic ear to all manner of concerns raised by members.

He urged them to offer alternative solutions to their concerns and also praise management when their concerns were addressed.

“Praise where praise is due; condemn where condemnation is due and once you condemn, then you come out with an alternative to help solve the problem”, said Prof. Oduro.

On behalf of his elected colleagues, Prof. Grant thanked management of the University for their support to Convocation. 

He said if the doors of management remained open to the Board of Convocation, there were many burning issues that would be discussed behind the scenes to find lasting solution to them.

Prof. Grant said the recent resolution of the Assistant Lecturers petitions by management “has strengthened people’s hope in Convocation and its ability to help resolve critical matters.”

He assured members of Convocation that the newly-elected members would justify the confidence and trust reposed in them in the discharge of their mandate.

Prof. Grant added that members of the Board of Convocation were trying to avoid two things, namely: becoming a union and also being seen as another arm of management.

Mr. John Kofi Nyan, Registrar; Major (Rtd) Kofi Baah-Bentum, the Acting Director of the Directorate of Public Affairs, and the Manager of ATL FM, Mr. Kwabena Antwi-Konadu, were present at the inauguration.

The 9th Microfinance Conference organized under the auspices of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies has opened at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). The two-day conference under the theme "The Future of Microfinance: Sustainability of Microfinance Institutions and Financial Inclusion" is being attended by players in the industry across the country". There will be presentation by various speakers from both industry and academia on various topics on Microfinance. In a speech delivered on his behalf by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K.T. Oduro, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, said the emergence of microfinance was basically to provide easy access to finance for the financially excluded poor and also to be conduit of poverty reduction. However, he noted, with time a number of issues regarding the sustainability of microfinance had emerged. “Recent happenings on the microfinance landscape in Ghana have engendered multiple concerns that need critical appraisal and effecting addressing", he said. Prof. Ghartey Ampiah indicated that the theme for the conference was most appropriate especially in the light of the collapse of some microfinance institutions in the country such as DKM which led to the loss of substantial sums of money by clients. According to Prof. Ampiah, global attention to issues of microfinance and financial inclusion had been heightened in recent times and had become priorities for some countries in the developing world. “It is imperative for economic growth to enhance greater and easier access to finance by the poor and financially excluded and microfinance is to bridge this gap”. The Vice-Chancellor said there had been a remarkable increase in the number of microfinance institutions in Ghana in the last couple of years. He, however, said recent evidence suggest that, the impact of these institutions had been mixed coupled with critical operational challenges leading to adverse outcomes such as collapse of some of them as well as some clients committing suicide. That, the Vice-Chancellor, said had brought to the fore the urgent need to revisit the microfinance paradigm. The Provost of College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh, said recent happenings in the sector make it important for academia to engage industry on the future of microfinance in the country. Prof. Edu-Buandoh said over the years, proceedings of the conference had affected policy formulation regarding the industry. She called for the need to look at Microfinance in poverty reduction and at the same time wealth creation adding “the College is ready to partner industry to make it a reality." Delivering the keynote address, the Executive Director of Ghana Microfinance Institutions Network (GHAMFIN), Mr. Yaw Gyamfi, said microfinance had been accepted as a tool for poverty alleviation and financial inclusion in Ghana. “The microfinance sector has become a major conduit for the provision of financial services to the poor, low income and micro enterprise who are rejected by the banking system on the basis of being high risk," he said. Mr. Yaw Gyamfi noted that the microfinance landscape in Ghana had changed significantly over the last two decades and also their activities were not exclusive to them alone due to the emergence of new financial inclusion paradigm and the growing numbers of financial institutions. According to him, studies had shown that prudent risk management, adherence to best practices, regulatory framework, corporate governance, access to resources, technology and innovations,staff training and motivation were the significant drivers of success for microfinance institutions in Ghana. He hoped the conference would contribute significantly to enhance the growth of microfinance in the country. The Director of the Directorate of Academic Quality Assurance and Planning, Prof Kofi Awusabo-Asare, chaired the function.