DRIC has launched a maiden event to award outstanding researchers. Three categories of awards are on offer for the following categories of researchers: Best Evolving Researcher, Best Evolved Researcher and Outstanding Researcher. Respectively, the awardees will receive Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢5,000.00), Ten Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢10,000.00) and Fifteen Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢15,000.00). A formal ceremony will be organized for the awardees to present their ‘best’ research findings in December 2015. Members of the general public will be invited to the ceremony with the aim of further making UCC more visible.
DRIC-UCC organised the following workshops that were aimed at promoting research activities in the University. They are as follows:
- Workshop on Researcher Visibility for staff and students of the University, at the School of Medical Sciences Auditorium, University of Cape Coast, on 30th September, 2014. The facilitators were Dr. Enu-Kwasi, Dr. Simon Mariwah and Dr. Akwasi Anyanful.
- Workshop on Research Advancement and Administrative Responsibilities for all Academic Senior Members holding Administrative Positions in the University at the Sasakawa Conference Centre, University of Cape Coast, on 15th January, 2015. The workshop was aimed at building the capacity of the participants with skills and knowledge to effectively combine their administrative responsibilities with research activities. The facilitator was Prof. Kobina Yankson.
On the 2nd and 3rd of November 2015, twelve IEPA M.Phil. students having completed their thesis, successful defended their work to a Viva voce panel of assessors.
The students were David Wilson Amponsah, Michael Arku-Asare ,Jerry Yao Atakpa, Eric Kafui Bansah, Gideon Appiah-Adjei, Usman Baidoo, Agyeman Boafo, Alhassan Yao Bukari, Monica Nkkrumah,Damilola S-Deen Jimah, Daishonin Baah-Koranteng,Sampson Amponsah
An Educational exhibition dubbed “The British Council Education UK Science and MBA Fair” has taken place at the conference room of the College of Distance Education (CoDE), University of Cape Coast.
The exhibition, which was run concurrently with seminars, was aimed at creating opportunities for both staff and students of the university to gain admission to some UK universities for further studies. Some of the participating Universities for the fair were University of Aberdeen, University of Southampton, University of Hull, London Metropolitan University, University of Nottingham, the University of the West of England and the University of Westminster.
Opening the fair, the Vice–Chancellor, Prof. D. D. Kuupole indicated that the relationship between the British Council and the University of Cape Coast dated back to the early 2000s, when some departments in UCC were involved in the Developing of Partnerships in Higher Education programme.He said management of the university was in full support of the event, especially at a time when internationalization of Higher Education has become very crucial for all universities. He reiterated that “the University of Cape Coast remains committed to becoming a university with a world-wide acclaim.”
In pursuing this agenda, Prof. Kuupole noted that management has put in place structures for making the university more internationally visible. He mentioned the establishment of the Centre for International Education (CIE) to serve as link for research and academic collaboration with institutions within Ghana and abroad”.
The Vice-Chancellor commended the universities that have travelled from the United Kingdom to come and interact with lecturers, staff and students about educational prospects in their respective universities.
Speakers at the maiden Advancement Lecture Series have underscored the need for government to adequately resource statutory institutions and agencies mandated by the constitution to effectively fight corruption in the Country.
They expressed worry that since independence, various governments have instituted measures to fight the canker but have not been able to strengthen institutions to perform their role expeditiously.
The lecture featured Mr. Kwadwo Oppong Nkrumah and Mr. Abraham Amaliba both alumni of the university who spoke on the topic “A Multipartite Approach to Combat Corruption-How Can We Achieve this?”
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah in his presentation said, since 1992 no report from the Public Accounts Committee of parliament has been tabled before Parliament for adoption. “There has been a lot of T.V drama about the work of the PAC, but there has been no results”. He wondered whether Parliament could fight corruption and do a proper check on the executive arm of government when some of the legislators play active roles in the executive. He opined that “if the practice of appointing 50% of parliamentarians into the executives was stopped, the institution would be bolstered in the fight against corruption in the country”.Mr. Nkrumah cited a World Bank report that put the size of corruption the world-over as $1 trillion and $48 billion in Africa annually.
The former host of Joy FM morning show advocated for the codification of the code of conduct for public officials into law, for the effective fight against corruption. He reiterated his party’s (NPP) position of appointing an Independent Public Prosecutor to prosecute on behalf of the Commission of Human Rights and Administration Justice and other such bodies. He said there was no need to overhaul the current tools in fighting corruption in the country but rather called for the upgrade of the existing machinery in that direction.
Taking his turn, Mr. Abraham Amaliba called for the decoupling of the “giver of bribe from the taker” so that such persons could be used as prosecution witness against takers adding that “We need to decouple the giver from the taker, if we decouple and criminalized bribe taking, we can use the givers as prosecution witnesses since it is not all truth that can be proven”. He said public confidence in the fight against corruption was waning because of the long-standing mistrust they have for politicians. He noted that “the fight must not be left in the hands of the politicians alone, and it is not in the interest of the politician to eradicate or reduce corruption”.
Commenting on the issues raised by the two speakers, Mrs. Linda Ofori Kwafo of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition said the crusade against corruption started way back in the 1960s and has continued in the current constitutional dispensation without any serious headway. Despite numerous laws and bodies set up in the constitutional era the canker is still very rife in the society she added.
Mrs. Ofori Kwafo wondered how the appointment of the Independent Public Prosecutor could help in the fight against corruption since the executive would appoint such individual for the office. She however suggested that “For this to be effective, we should adopt measures that will really make them independent so that the purpose for the appointment could be achieved. ”
She reiterated the call for the implementation of the numerous laws on corruption and also called for the passing of the freedom of information bill into the law to strengthen the arms of those charges with the fight against corruption.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. D. D. Kuupole chaired the function.
The University of Cape Coast through the College of Distance education (CoDE) has presented a cheque for GH ¢60, 000 to support the treatment of Christiana Yelsana, a student of the University who is currently suffering a chronic end stage kidney disease.
Presenting the cheque on behalf of management of the University to authorities of the Ghana Police Hospital in Accra, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. D. D. Kuupole noted that the condition of Christiana only came to their notice through an appeal for donation on television. He explained that the Provost of CoDE was quickly tasked to take up the matter and they were able to mobilise GH ¢50, 000 as part of their corporate social responsibility. He further indicated that the Distance Education Students Association of Ghana (DESAG), UCC, also contributed 10, 000 making the entire amount GH ¢60, 000.
The Vice-Chancellor indicated that he almost broke down after watching the plight of Christiana on television. He said the wellbeing of students was of paramount interest to management since they constitute the clients of the University, hence, the donation. He expressed the hope that the donation would contribute towards a successful surgery to enable Christiana to live long.
Receiving the cheque, the Medical Director in charge of the Ghana Police Hospital, Dr. Mohammadu Zakaria said he has really been moved by the kindheartedness of the University and commended the Vice-Chancellor and the team from UCC for the gesture.
Explaining the condition of Christiana, Dr. Zakaria said she has been diagnosed with a chronic end stage disease which can be managed through renal transplant. He said a relative of Christiana has agreed to donate a kidney and therefore, they would soon arrange for the two to travel to India for the surgery.
Other members of the team from UCC comprised the Provost of CoDE, Prof. George K. T. Oduro;Finance Officer, CoDE, Mr. George Amfo-Antiri; Assistant Registrar, Mr. Ebenezer Aggrey; Head, Student Support Unit (CoDE), Mr. Gabriel Essilfie and Greater Accra Resident Tutor, CoDE, Mr. Evans Frimpong-Manso.The rest were; President of DESAG, Mr. Godwin Kwawu, UCC SRC President, Mr. Francis K. Arthur and other executives of DESAG.
The Advisory Board of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) of the University of Cape Coast has been inaugurated at a ceremony at the University Council Chamber
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor D. D. Kuupole, on behalf of the University Council, has inaugurated the Advisory Board of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) of the University of Cape Coast.
The nine member Board, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor is to provide guidance on how the directorate should run their activities and challenge faculties in terms of research that would positively impact on government policies and other social developmental projects.The Vice-Chancellor thanked members for accepting to be part of the board, especially those from outside the University and urged them to strive hard to use their rich experiences for the successful running of the directorate and the University as a whole.
Prof. Kuupole said, “We are in an era where no university can continue to live in isolation and a university that does not have relationship with industry and civil society is bound to fold up.” He further stated that in other countries, people were even agitating for entrepreneurial university to shift from the traditional ways of university operation.
The Vice-Chancellor who is also the Chair of the Advisory Board, expressed members’ gratitude for the opportunity to serve on the Board. He said the Board would work hard to lead the University to attain world class status, and was certain that all members would collectively bring on board their expertise to engage stakeholders and also generate knowledge for the betterment of the University.
Members of the Advisory Board are: Prof. A. M. Abane (Director, DRIC, UCC); Prof. Samuel K. Annim (Deputy Director, DRIC, UCC) and Rev. Dr. George Dawson-Ahmoah (Strategy & Corporate Affairs Director, GHACEM Limited, Heidelberg Cement Group, Tema), Dr. Frank A. Odoom (Ex-Director General, SSNIT); Dr. Sam Adu-Kumi (Acting Director, Environmental Protection Agency, Accra); Mr. Francis Obeng (Deputy Director of Finance, UCC); Mr. Paul Dzandu and Mrs. Millicent Aning-Agyei as Secretary.
The University of Cape Coast in collaboration with the University of Nairobi, Kenya and the Hochshule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Germany (UCC-UoN-BRSU) has held the third joint international conference on the theme “Platform for Promoting Sustainable Enterprise Development in Africa: The Role of Industry-Academic Partnership.”
The 2015 edition of the conference was hosted under the auspices of the University of Cape Coast School of Business. Some of the sub-themes for the conference included “Promoting Collaboration between Africa and German SMEs”; “Practice-Oriented Teaching and Graduate Unemployment and Promoting Africa as a Region of Opportunities.” The others were “E-learning Platform and Business Education”; “Environmental Entrepreneurship and Resource Management” and “Business Incubation in Higher Education”
Delivering the opening remarks at the conference, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. D. D. Kuupole observed that private enterprise growth is a major challenge to most African countries. He noted that despite the abundance of natural resources, the continent was bedeviled with poverty and low levels of development. He therefore pointed out that African countries need critical thinkers with innovative ideas to change the fortunes of the continent and this according to him, could be achieved through vibrant partnership such as that of the UCC-UoN-BRSU.
Prof. Kuupole entreated participants of the conference, especially, those from partner Universities to build networks, share business experiences of mutual benefit as well as cultural and knowledge exchanges. He thanked the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany for the countless support they continue to grant UCC through BRSU to faculty and students of the School of Business. He also seized the opportunity to welcome the University of Nairobi to the partnership and expressed the hope that they would also bring to bear their experiences.
In an address, the Vice-President, International Affairs and Diversity, BRSU, Prof. Dr. Jϋrgen Bode expressed the need to bring together university and industry as close partners. He stressed that “Companies want unique selling propositions in universities which is the student.” He therefore called on universities to also consider their students as valuable asset to feed industry.
The keynote speaker for the conference, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom in his address pointed out that the private sector expect universities to produce graduates with strong moral grounding, good ethics, and can add value to the work. He stressed that “lack of qualified and appropriately trained human capital as well as obstructive governments’ were the bane to private sector development.
Dr. Nduom who is also the founder of the Progressive Peoples Party and an entrepreneur expressed worry that the unfriendly attitude of African governments towards the private sector pose a great challenge to the sustainability of their business adding that “the private sector is the creator of wealth whilst the public sector provides the enabling environment for businesses to strive.”
The Dean of the UCC School of Business, Prof. Edward Marfo-Yiadom in his welcome address noted that the conference was aimed at bridging the gap between academia and industry. He noted that the conference would provide opportunity for speakers and participants to address issues relating to the theme and also make recommendations to African nations.
Tracing the history of the partnership, the Project Leader in Ghana, Prof. Rosemond Boohene noted that the partnership began in 2012 between UCC and BRSU. She explained that a number of UCC faculty and students have embarked on exchange programmes in Germany through the collaboration. She further indicated that some individuals operating businesses have also had the opportunity to visit Germany to improve upon their skills and experiences to enhance their work. She further noted that with the University of Nairobi, Kenya on board, the partnership would soon assume an African-wide collaboration with institutions in Germany.
Awards were also presented to individuals and businesses that won the Green Entrepreneurship Award Competition by German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ).
Other speakers for the conference were the President of Ashesi University, Dr. Patrick Awuah; Dean, School of Business, UoN,Prof. Josiah O. Aduda; representative of the Minister of Trade and Industry and Ghanaian/Germany Entrepreneur, Mr. Walter Deffor. Others were the Ghana representative of DAAD, Berit Stoppa, President, Ghana German Economic Association,Mr. Stephen Antwi; President, Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Madam Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development , on Tuesday inaugurated the University of Cape Coast (UCC) Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Science Refurbished Fisheries and Coastal Laboratory, with a call on the students to conduct research that would help improve the country's coastal and marine resources.
The refurbished laboratory forms part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and UCC 5.5-million-dollar five- year fisheries and coastal management capacity building support project (2014-19).
Madam Ayittey commended the USAID for the financial and technical assistance which had made it possible for the project to be executed on schedule.
She said the government had identified the fisheries sector as very important, because it has the potential to contribute significantly to employment, GDP, foreign exchange earnings, nutritional requirement, raw materials for industry, food security and poverty reduction.
The Minister said the government was very much committed to work with the University of Cape Coast towards the establishment of a Fisheries College at Anomabo, adding, “we are grateful for the contribution of UCC in developing and approving the academic curricula for the College”.
Ms Ayittey pointed out that fishing was a major economic activity along the coast and that fish capture, processing, marketing and associated services, constituted a significant source of livelihood in Ghana, with the sector generating more than one billion dollars in revenue each year, and accounted for at least 4.5 per cent of Ghana’s GDP.
Dr Denis Worlanyo Aheto , Project Manager, explained that the purpose of the project was to strengthen capacity for sustainable fisheries and coastal resource management, as well as support the government to achieve its middle income objectives of poverty reduction and food security, and resuscitate the coastal fisheries resources.
He said under the project, 22 different activities which include improved infrastructure, such as renovating and equipping the fisheries and coastal research laboratory, refurbishing and equipping offices for lecturers /computer rooms and libraries, increased technical and scientific knowledge through academic and technical staff capacity building, develop manual and update training materials on climate change adaption and mitigation as well as engage policy makers to address coastal fisheries issues, would be executed .
Others are the operationalization of the centre for coastal management, support for postgraduate (M.PHIL and PhD) training programmes, undergraduate Research grants, increased marine and coastal research and resource assessment, develop marine and coast fisheries database, research on fish and shellfish of commercial value, as well as conduct research and assessment on marine fisheries governance issues.
Professor Paul Nelson Buah, Pro-Vice Chancellor of UCC, pointed out that Ghana’s marine ecosystem had continuously supported high fish yield at least since the early 70s, until when the fisheries production declined.
He attributed the fish decline to a number of challenges which include illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, bad practices such as the use of dynamite, chemical and light fishing, and pollution of water bodies through illegal small-scale mining, over-capitalization of the sector and inadequate monitoring and enforcement of fisheries regulations.
He was happy that the project would further strengthen the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Science to train more students, and that it would also help to make the Centre for Coastal Management in the University fully operational to deliver on its vision of capacity building, research and extension.
Posted Jun 18, 2015 at 9:56am
GNA
Source: gbcghana.com
British Council Ghana is inviting you to its maiden Education UK Science and MBA Tour being organised at the University of Cape Coast.
This exhibition is opened to all students, lecturers and staff of the various universities as well as the interested general public.
There will be fifteen (15) UK Schools in attendance ready to answer all your questions about studying and living in the UK.
The following presentations will be ongoing during the exhibitions:
- Visa application
- Scholarships
- Living and Studying in the UK
Come and find out more information about Masters, MBA and PHD courses as well as available scholarship opportunities,
study oppotunities and student visas.
Click here to register and attend the exhibitions and to also view the participating institutions.
Who's Invited?:
All are cordially invited
Contact:
0302 610 090
Sponsor:
British council
Lecture Series: