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CHLS-UCC presents supplies to Communicable Disease Prison, Ankaful

CHLS-UCC donates to Communicable Disease Prison, Ankaful

07 Jun, 2022 By DIS

The College of Humanities and Legal Studies (CHLS) of University of Cape Coast (UCC) has made a donation to the Communicable Disease Prison (CDP), Ankaful in Cape Coast.

The gesture formed part of scheduled activities commemorating the sixtieth (60th) anniversary celebration of the University.

Items donated to the inmates included toiletries, bags of rice, gari, beans and oranges. There were also gallons of vegetable and red cooking oil, boxes of spaghetti as well as bags of water.

The Provost of the College, Prof. Eric Francis Amuquandoh, in his remarks said the University was concerned with the wellbeing of the inmates hence, the gesture. He noted that the soaring number of inmates being recorded in prisons across the country was telling of society’s failure to holistically nurture these individuals.

He added that the College’s generosity to the incarcerated at the facility was to show them love, encourage them to reform and when released back into the larger society, contribute their part towards national development.

Receiving the items on behalf of the inmates, Superintendent Samuel Addai, the Second in Command at the facility was grateful for the support. He appealed for more reliefs in the form of food and medication.

During an interactive session with the inmates, the Dean of the Faculty of Law-UCC, Prof. Philip Ebow Bondzie Simpson, drawing inspiration from the Bible noted that love was the fulcrum of human existence hence, the donation. He also counselled the inmates to allow themselves to be reformed.

 

Concerns raised by Inmates

Inmates of the Communicable Disease Prison Ankaful are calling for the swift re-implementation of the literacy programme for prisoners. Non-formal education for inmates began at Ankaful in 2007, with the training of facilitators and materials provided by the Non-Formal Education Division of the Ministry of Education. As a further step, there was a Special Initiative on Distance Learning (PSI-DL) in English Language, Mathematics, Science, Block Laying, and Concreting in April, 2008.

According to the inmates, the programme had stalled and they were appealing for its re-implementation. The Officer-In-Charge of the CDP, Chief Superintendent Roger Azanya, responding to this told the UCC delegation that the Non-Formal Education Division of the Ministry of Education had been to the facility to identify individuals who qualify for the programme. They were,however, still in waiting to see the programme started.

Another concern raised by the convicts was the challenge of re-integration into society after serving time. They noted that the discrimination they suffer when released pushed many of them back into criminal acts in a bid to return to prisons where they feel welcome. They called for extensive public education for their acceptance into society. One inmate made particular mention of the ill treatments they suffer at the hands of health professionals when they were sent to health facilities for treatment. He said a change in such behaviour will enhance their reformation.

Another inmate, reiterating the appeal for medication, said the meager amount they received from government as feeding allowance was woefully sufficient to support their medication. Currently, each inmate receives GHS 1.80p daily.

Present at the donation were the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Prof. Kwame Osei Kwarteng; Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Akwasi Kumi Kyeremeh and the Ghana and China Directors of the Confucius Institute, Prof. Ishmael Mensah and Prof. Ou Yamei, respectively. The College Registrar, Mr. Ebenezer Aggrey, as well as other faculty members and staff graced the event.

 

About the CDP

Established in 1948, the Communicable Disease Prison (CDP), Ankaful which currently houses some sixty-four inmates was built to hold prisoners suffering Tuberculosis and other communicable diseases. This is mainly to prevent the spread of infectious diseases amongst the general prison population in Ghana.  

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

Vice-Chancellor inspects progress of CoDE project at Agona Nyakrom

Vice-Chancellor inspects progress of CoDE project at Agona Nyakrom

07 Jun, 2022 By DIS

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, has inspected ongoing works at the University of Cape Coast's (UCC) College of Distance Education (CoDE) Conference and Resource Centre located at Agona Nyakrom in the Central Region. The visit was to ascertain the progress of work.

 

The project, sourced from the University’s internally generated fund, has bedrooms, a kitchen, a restaurant, seminar rooms, and bungalows for caretakers and drivers among others. On completion, it will also be a Centre for residential marking, retreats and serve as a training centre for Post Graduate students.

 VC, Prof. Nyarko Boampong (center) being briefed on the progress of work

 

Inspection

Prof. Boampong said the inspection was to ensure the constructors working on the project execute an excellent job. He was fairly impressed with the progress of work and urged the constructors to work hard to complete the project on schedule.

 

The Vice-Chancellor indicated he had no doubt the project would significantly help facilitate academic work.

 

Progress of Work

Briefing the delegation, the Quantity Surveyor of Benburto Enterprises Construction Limited, Mr. Harrison Addo, said work was on course. He mentioned that the work consisted of two parts - remedial and outstanding works.

 

The outstanding works, according to him, were residence of drivers and caretakers, which initially were not part of the project. He noted that his firm was fixing frames and doors of the facility to meet modern standards.

 

As of press time, Mr. Addo said the project, which was estimated to be completed in eight (8) months, was about 40 per cent complete.

 The VC in a post inspection meeting with the constructors

 

Background

The CoDE project at Agona Nyakrom, which started in 2011, stalled for more than three years as a result of contractual issues. However, with approval from the Public Procurement Authority, it has been re-awarded to Accra-based, Benburto Enterprises Limited.

 

The officials who accompanied Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong to the project site were the Registrar, Mr. Jeff Onyame and the Assistant Registrar at the Public Affairs Section, Mr. Felix Adu Poku.

 

 

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

Prof. Frederick Ato Armah
Date/Time/Duration
Thursday, June 16, 2022 - 2:00pm
Venue/Location
School of Medical Sciences Auditorium
Chairperson
Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong (Vice-Chancellor)
Speaker
Prof. Frederick Ato Armah - Professor of Environmental and Sustainability Science and Director of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC)

The University community and the general public are hereby invited to the Inaugural Lecture to be delivered by Prof. Frederick Ato Armah, Professor of Environmental and Sustainability Science and Director of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC)

Topic: Restoring Kinship with the Environment: How to Address the Wicked Problem of Illegal Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining

Only Professors who have given their Inaugural Lecture would be required to robe to welcome their colleague. The gowns would be available at the Reception of the School of Medical Sciences Auditorium on the day of the programme.

All are cordially invited.

PROFILE - PROF. FREDERICK ATO ARMAH

Frederick Ato Armah is a Professor of Environmental and Sustainability Science and currently the Director of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). From August 2016 - July 2019, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Science at UCC. Prof Armah is an interdisciplinary scientist with deep interest in the natural and human dimensions of environment and health. His professional expertise includes multivariate environmental statistics; global environmental change mitigation and adaptation; environmental and natural resource management, remediation and policy; human health risk assessment; climate change—human health nexus; pollution of environmental media and biota; and socio-ecological systems. He has extensive experience in teaching, research and collaboration with partners in both developed (Canada, Sweden, Netherlands, USA) and developing countries (Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Kenya, Tanzania). He has served as consultant to numerous organisations and government agencies both local and international including the World Bank, UN Environment, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), CADMUS Group USA, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kreditanstalt Für Wiederaufbau (KfW German Development Bank), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)—African Union’s Specialized Agency for Capacity Development.   

He holds a BSc (Hons) Degree in Chemistry from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and MSc Degree in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science from Lund University in Sweden. Prof Armah has a PhD in Environment and Human Health Geography from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. In addition, he holds a Certificate in Building African Entrepreneurship Universities in the Context of Responsible Innovations and Sustainable Development (AFRIDEP/UNECA); Certificate in Transforming Leadership and Governance (ILF); Certificate in Project Planning and Proposal Development (AAU); Certificate in University Leadership and Management Development (AAU), Certificate in Preliminary Assessment & Site Inspection of Surface water, Groundwater, Air & Soil (USEPA); and Certificate in Facilitating Multi-stakeholder Process and Social Learning: Advanced Course in the Use of Participatory Approaches for Institutional Change (WUR).

Prof Armah has held several prestigious scholarships including the Swedish Institute Scholarship (2006-2008), Netherlands Fellowship (2009) and the Ontario Trillium Scholarship (2011-2015). He is the first individual from sub-Saharan Africa to win the prestigious Ontario Trillium Scholarship. He was awarded as an Outstanding Researcher at the University of Cape Coast for hard work, dexterity, and great dedication to research during the 2015/2016 academic year.

Prof Armah has worked at all levels of the educational ladder (basic, secondary, tertiary) in Ghana starting from 1995. Cumulatively, he has garnered over 20 years of teaching and research experience more than half of which is at the tertiary level. In 2009, he received the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Science, Innovation and Technology joint award for the best innovative scientist in developing a technique for the removal of fluoride ions in Bongo using local available materials. This award was established to mark the Golden Jubilee of the CSIR. Following this award, he was briefly part of a team of scientists that developed technologies to produce safe drinking water using laterite, a soil-type, rich in iron and aluminium, as a sorbent and ultra-filtration for physical disinfection. This initiative was part of a collaboration between researchers at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology in Ghana, and the University of Edinburgh, UK titled, "Safe Drinking Water using Appropriate Technologies for Ghana (SADWAT-GHANA). Under the aegis of SADWAT-GHANA, the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Tanzania Academy of Sciences, he was invited by the UK Royal Society to attend the first Leverhulme—Royal Society Africa Award Holder Meeting in Dar es Salaam in December 2010.

As the Head of the Department of Environmental Science (August 2016 - July 2018), Prof Armah established collaboration with the Centers for Natural Resources and Development (CNRD) at the University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, Germany. CNRD is a consortium of about 20 higher education institutions that connects universities worldwide by promoting academic exchange and cooperation in the field of natural resource management, particularly with regards to water, land, ecosystems and renewable energy. Prof. Frederick Ato Armah also established the Margaret Wulesie Award of Excellence in Environmental Science, in honour and memory of his late mother, Margaret Wulesie. The award, which is worth 1000 Ghana Cedis is given to an Environmental Science graduand who obtains a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.8 or better. Prof Armah vigorously pursued an agenda of equipping the Environmental Science and allied laboratories in the School of Biological Sciences during his tenure as head of department. He was instrumental in the donation of equipment and accessories worth over 150,000 Ghana Cedis to the department by the Copenhagen Business Academy (CPH), Denmark (see pages 8-10 of UCC Bulletin Volume 54 Issue 1, September 2018).

As Deputy Director of DRIC from August 2016 to April 2019, Prof Armah coordinated the development of the first UCC Intellectual Property Policy (IPP) and co-chaired the committee that crafted the first ever UCC Research Report, which has since received extensive critical acclaim. He also chaired the committee that developed the 2018-2022 UCC Research Agenda, which gives expression to the research tenets and trajectory of UCC as set out in the 2018-2022 Corporate Strategic Plan. As Deputy Director of DRIC, Prof Armah also successfully led UCC to apply for the Queen Elizabeth II (QES II) Advanced-Scholars programme, which seeks to establish research capacity and leadership qualities in young African and Canadian scholars in order to enable them to competently address global challenges pertaining to Environment, Food and Health. Through this initiative, the University of Cape Coast sent one QES II Scholar to Western University, Canada in 2018 to undertake research under the supervision and mentorship of a very experienced team of faculty members, for a minimum period of 90 days. Prof. Armah was also actively involved in the successful application for and implementation of the African Trans-Regional Cooperation through Academic Mobility (ACADEMY) Project. This is a 1.4-million-dollar EU-Intra Africa Mobility Grant, which seeks to foster mobility of staff and students among partners in the consortium (UCC, Ghana, Tlemcen University, Algeria, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and Kenyatta University, Kenya) to deepen cross-cultural learning and enhance regional capacity building in higher education.

Prof Armah is the UCC team lead on the 2.5-million-dollar partnership grant titled Appraising Risk, Past and Present: Interrogating Historical Data to Enhance Understanding of Environmental Crises in the Indian Ocean World. This 7-year initiative seeks to enhance historical understanding of the factors at work in past environmental crises, and thereby significantly improve currently employed environmental risk perception and governance (ERPG) tools. The team consists of 8 Co-Applicants, 17 Partner Institutions, and 23 additional Collaborators (including UCC) spread across 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. He is a co-applicant and the team lead for Ghana on the 2.5-million-dollar Vulnerability to Viability (V2V): Global Partnership for Building Strong Small-Scale Fisheries Communities research grant. Prof. Armah is also the country lead for the 2 million-dollar Project—Farmer Organization, Mobilization and Political Opportunities (‘FOMPO’), which is sponsored by the Swedish Research Council (FORMAS) and Lund University, Sweden (2020-2024). 

Prof Armah is currently a member of the National Technical Committee on Environmental Quality Standards in Ghana. In March 2019, he was appointed as a member of the France-Ghana Nkabom Scientific Committee that reviews joint proposals submitted by academics in both countries on energy and renewable energy, environment and climate change, engineering sciences; biology and biotechnology. In 2015, he was appointed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to serve on its Global Panel of Experts on the Environment. At the time, he was the only scientist from Ghana among the team of experts drawn from over 110 countries by the UNEP Chief Scientist to develop the regional assessment reports that served as precursor to the 6th Global Environment Outlook. In 2017, based on his meritorious contribution to the Africa regional assessment, the UN Chief Scientist subsequently nominated him to be a lead author of the Air Policy Effectiveness chapter of the Global Environment Outlook 6 (GEO-6) Report, which was launched by the UN Environment Assembly in March 2019. This report is now published by the Cambridge University Press.

Prof Armah was an Associate Editor of the African Geographical Review (Taylor and Francis) from 2013-2016. He is currently an Associate Editor of Frontiers in Environmental Science Journal in Switzerland. He also serves as an External Examiner for the Master of Science programme in Environmental Science at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. He has reviewed for over 60 international journals. He also served as External Reviewer for the Human and Institutional Capacity Development Directorate of the National Research Foundation (NRF) of the South Africa Thuthuka Programme. He was External Reviewer for the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) Africa LIRA 2030 proposals on understanding the Energy-Health-Natural Disasters nexus in urban contexts in Africa. He has also reviewed for the the Netherlands Research Council. In February 2020, Prof Armah was nominated to serve as a nexus assessment scoping expert on the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles in reputable international journals, 30 technical reports, 90 conference presentations, 5 working papers, 5 policy briefs as well as 2 book chapters and 2 encyclopaedia entries. Some of his scholarly research works have appeared in high impact factor journals such as Scientific Reports (Nature), Environmental Health Perspectives, Environment International, Environmental Research, PLOS one, Frontiers in Environmental Science, EcoHealth, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Population and Environment, Water MDPI, International Journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, Exposure and Health, Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, Journal of Environmental Science & Health Part A, Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Wetlands Ecology and Management, Ocean and Coastal Management, and GeoJournal.

He is a member of several professional organisations including the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, International Society for Environmental Information Sciences, Earth Systems Governance, International Society for Development and Sustainability, Japan, and the Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability, UK. He is a member of various communities of practice including the Climate Change and Forestry Adaptation Communities of Practice: Ontario Centre for Climate Impacts and Adaptation Resources (OCCIAR), Canada and Too Big to Ignore (TBTI): Global Response Cluster of the Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER). He has attended over 90 seminars/workshops/conferences/webinars organised in eleven countries across the globe. Prof Armah has given numerous guest lectures at high ranking universities including the University of Toledo, Ohio, USA, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Pennsylvania State University, USA.

In October 2021, Prof Armah presented on Excellence in Research and Grants writing to Vice-Chancellors, Principals and Directors of Public Universities and Colleges, Zambia during the Zambia Association of Public Universities and Colleges (ZAPUC) Leadership Capacity Building Workshop. In November 2021, Prof Armah was part of the eNubia panel discussion on Scaling African Research Innovations in Science, Engineering, Health and Development by Utilizing Artificial Intelligence & Data Science. He spoke specifically on African Research: Utilizing Data Science & AI to Solve Challenges in Health, Industry, Disease Prevention and Development. He has also presented on building research assessment reform into regional open science policy in higher education institutions in Africa as part of the Library Support for Embedded NREN Services and E-infrastructure (LIBSENSE) and the Declaration on Open Access (DORA) open science workshop in March 2022. He has been hosted by the Cambridge University Libraries of the World podcast where he presented on open access publishing in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Prof Armah has been championing the visibility agenda of UCC aimed at highlighting the University’s research and teaching output through dissemination in recognized channels. In this regard, he has been very instrumental in facilitating a series of workshops and sensitisation programmes on scientometric indicators and webometrics ranking and its relationship to quality education and research. He coordinated the first Elsevier workshop regarding academic writing and global visibility on UCC campus. He successfully directed two rounds of the UCC Research Support Grants (RSGs) and Research Awards, during his tenure as Deputy Director of DRIC. Many of the RSGs he coordinated have culminated in the publication of very good papers in high impact ISI or Science Citation Index (SCI) journals. At DRIC, Prof Armah led the Vice-Chancellor’s agenda of increasing the number of faculty members on Google Scholar. Through his instrumentality and concerted efforts with key stakeholders, the number of UCC faculty members on Google Scholar more than quadrupled between 2016 and 2018.

A number of establishments that track scholarly achievement consistently rank Prof Frederick Ato Armah among the most visible, topmost scientists in Ghana and beyond. These include Google Scholar, Web of Science ResearcherID and ORCID, Scopus, ResearchGate and Publons. In 2017, Publons ranked him as one of the top one percent of reviewers in multidisciplinary academic fields. In 2018 and 2019, Publons ranked him again as one of the top one percent of global reviewers in the field of Environment/Ecology. In 2020, Prof. Armah won the Association of American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) in Environmental Sciences, together with co-authors on the Sixth Edition of the UN Global Environment Outlook Report. This award recognises the very best in professional and scholarly publishing by celebrating the authors, editors, and publishers whose landmark works have made significant advancements in their respective fields of study each year. Through his instrumentality and concerted efforts with university management and allied stakeholders, UCC is ranked as the best university in Ghana and West Africa in the 2022 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Professor Frederick Ato Armah was born in Kumasi on 3rd November 1973. His primary education was oscillatory owing to the fact that his dad, an engineer in the Ghana Army, was often on transfer. He began his education at the Life Corps Montessori School in Winneba. He continued at the Station Experimental Primary School at Kamina Barracks in Tamale. He then moved to Complex primary school at Burma Camp in Accra, where he sat for the common entrance examinations in 1986. He had both his O’ Level and A’ Level education at the Koforidua Secondary Technical School, Koforidua.  He is married to Mrs Nesba Yaa Anima Armah and the couple have a daughter Aseda Ewuraesi Armah. 

 

Restoring Kinship with the Environment: How to Address the Wicked Problem of Illegal Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining

ABSTRACT

Illegal artisanal and small-scale gold mining is a complex, social-environmental problem, which can be classified as a ‘wicked problem’ because its causes and effects are separated in space and time, it is persistent and hugely challenging for policy makers. In this inaugural lecture, I use causal loop diagrams to illustrate what makes illegal artisanal and small-scale gold mining wicked and assess various theoretical and pragmatic approaches that have been advanced to tackle it. The aim is to contribute new insights to theory, policy and practice by answering the following enduring questions: What makes illegal artisanal and small-scale gold mining so intractable? What strategies to tackle illegal artisanal and small-scale gold mining systematically do not work? To what extent do systems thinking, system dynamic modelling and multi-stakeholder platforms provide pathways for tackling the defining characteristics of this wicked environmental problem? Systems thinking is a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on how a system's constituent parts interrelate and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems. Solutions to illegal artisanal and small-scale gold mining reflect the systems archetype fixes that fail, which highlights situations where perceived solutions actually result in worse or unintended consequences. The take home message from this inaugural lecture is that for every wicked environmental problem there is a suggested solution that is clear, simple and wrong. Therefore, we need to step back from immediately obvious management decisions and take a more systemic view of the situation in order to stimulate sustainable solutions.  

Inaugural Lecture

Vanguard Assurance supports family of deceased UCC staff member

06 Jun, 2022 By DIS

Vanguard Assurance Company Limited has donated Gh¢ 10,000 to the widow of a deceased staff member of UCC, Mr. Benjamin Atiaba.

 

Mr. Atiaba, a mechanic who worked for the Transport Section of the University, died in 2021 in the line of duty.

 

The Head of Distribution for Vanguard Assurance Company Limited, Mr. Samuel Assuman, said his outfit was touched by the sad news of the passing of the deceased and decided to offer succour to the bereaved family.

 

He said though the deceased was not a client of Vanguard Assurance Company Limited, his outfit felt the need to donate the amount to alleviate the plight of the grieving family.

Pro VC, Prof. Rosemond Boohene and Registrar, Mr. Jeff Onyame at the donation

 

For her part, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rosemond Boohene, thanked the Insurance Company for the donation.

 

The wife of the deceased, Ms. Joyce Mensah, expressed appreciation to the Company for the kind gesture.

 

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

Vanguard Assurance Company Limited donates Lube Bay to UCC

06 Jun, 2022 By DIS

Vanguard Assurance Company Limited, an insurance company, has donated a Lube Bay to the Transport Section of University of Cape Coast (UCC). This brings to two the number of Lube Bays the Insurance Company has donated to UCC. 

Inaugurating the Lube Bay, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mrs. Rosemond Boohene, expressed gratitude to Vanguard Assurance Company for the generous donation. She urged beneficiaries to take good care of the Lube bay. 

Prof. Boohene described Vanguard Assurance Company as an important partner and called on the insurance company to always support UCC in varied ways. She also called on other corporate bodies to follow Vanguard Assurance Company's example by supporting the University.

 

Pro VC, Prof. Rosemond Boohene cutting the tape to inaugurate the lube bay. She was assisted by MD, VAC, Mr. Fred Sarkah (right)

 

For his part, the Managing Director of Vanguard Assurance Company, Mr. Fred Sarkah, said the gesture formed part of the Company's Corporate Social Responsibility and promised continuous support to the University.

 

He advised the public and corporate bodies to take proactive contingency measures in the form of insurance to provide for their economic leverages since the unexpected could happen at any time. He said taking insurance covers would save them from anguish and financial loss.

 

He used the occasion to congratulate UCC on its 60th anniversary.

 

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim

Renew tenures of public office holders based on productivity – Government Statistician

06 Jun, 2022 By DIS

Government Statistician, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim, is advocating the renewal of tenures of public office holders based on productivity in office.

He is, therefore, calling on Parliament to consider setting up what he described as a ‘Public Productivity Committee’ to monitor the expenditures and productivity results of public officers.

“One thing I struggle to understand is a country having a Public Accounts Committee when it doesn’t have a Public Productivity Committee …It will be a great inspiration for me if in the next few years, Parliament considers what I call Public Productivity Committee. Renewal of tenures should be based on productivity per sector,” he noted.

Prof. Annim, a Professor of Economics, was speaking at his inaugural lecture on the topic: “Data-Policy Transitions: Perspectives of Economic Variables” at the University of Cape Coast.

The inaugural lecture on the theme was the second in a three-part series that commenced with a lecture on “Conceptualisation of National Policies: Issues of Capacity and Practice”.

He underscored the need for the country to focus on designing data-informed policies and put structures in place to access the outcome and impact of policies.

 
Prof. Annim being robed by some members of the College of Professors, UCC

 

The Government Statistician underlined gaps in Ghana’s policy capacity and charged academics to take stock to audit the national policies.

“It is about time we take stock to audit the policies that we have in this country for us as academics” he said.

He mentioned that there was a lack of a macro-economic toolbox for assessing performance in gross domestic product growth, as well as other major macro-economic variables, including inequality, employment and patterns in labour statistics.

He called for an end to politicization of statistics in the country.

Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim urged researchers to employ Data Integrity and Conceptualization Evaluation Frameworks to improve quality of research.

 

A section of some dignitaries at the inaugural lecture

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, chaired the event.  Present were the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rosemond Boohene; Registrar, Mr. Jeff Teye Emmanuel Onyame; past Vice-Chancellors and Pro Vice-Chancellors and College of Professors, UCC. Others were faculty, staff, Policymakers, Development Partners, staff of the Ghana Statistical Service with the Board Chair, Dr. Grace Bediako and Member of Parliament for Cape Coast North, Dr. Kwamena Minta Nyarku.

About Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim:

Samuel Kobina Annim is the Government Statistician for Ghana and a Professor of Economics at the University of Cape Coast. Following completion of his doctoral studies, he was engaged at the University of Manchester and University of Lancashire, both in the United Kingdom, in the respective capacities of Research Associate and Post-doctoral Research Fellow.

He has approximately twenty (20) years of teaching experience in Universities both in Ghana and abroad, and has more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and technical reports.

At the University of Cape Coast, he has contributed to a number of interventions including, institutionalization of microfinance programmes and a conference, establishment of a data repository centre, upgrading the status of the Department of Economics to a School and the development of a host of policies that promotes scholarship and research administration.

His passion for scholarly work includes adherence to the tenets of data quality to inform national and global development agenda. He provides professional advice to Ghana’s National Development Planning Commission, Statistical Eco-System and several international bodies.

At a glance:

  • Completed first degree at 24 years
  • Completed second degree at 26 years
  • Started career life as a lecturer at 26 years
  • Promoted to Senior Lecturer at 33 years
  • Completed third degree at 35 years
  • Promoted to Associate Professor at 37 years
  • Promoted to Professor at 42 years

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

 

 

Centre for Computational Thinking inaugurated at UCC

02 Jun, 2022 By DIS

A new Centre for Computational Thinking (CCT) has been inaugurated at the University of Cape Coast (UCC).

 The Centre, adjacent Lecture Theatre (LT) 13, First floor, was set up with assistance from the UCC Alumni Association of North America and Shodor, USA, in collaboration with the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

The CCT houses a 20-node computational cluster and a computer laboratory with twenty (20) computers for use by students and faculty for the purposes of teaching, learning and research.

The Centre will be under the supervision of the School of Physical Sciences of the College of Agricultural and Natural Sciences (CANS).

Inaugurating the Center on behalf of the Pro Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rosemond Boohene, the Director of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC), Prof. Frederick Ato Armah, expressed appreciation to the UCC Alumni Association of North America for pooling resources to assist the School of Physical Sciences.

According to him, computational thinking was not exclusive to physics or mathematics, stressing that it could be applied to all disciplines.

“As an Environmental Scientist, I know that we can use it a lot for climate change research,” he added, referring to Computational thinking.

Prof. Armah entreated faculty and students to seize the opportunities of the CCT to form partnerships with other colleagues in different disciplines.

“…If I am in physics and I am working on a problem using computational thinking, how does that resonate with somebody who is working in Environmental Science or Biochemistry,” he noted, citing an example to buttress his point.

He told the gathering that University Management was in full support of the initiative.

UCC Alumnus, Prof. John Kofi Dogbe takes guests at the launch on a tour of the facility

For his part, an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Physics and Carnegie Fellow, Barton College, USA, Prof. John Kofi Dogbe, who is an alumnus, noted that the initiative was the collective effort of members of the UCC Alumni Association of North America to give back to their alma mater.

He asked beneficiaries of the Center to take good care of the equipment, to prolong their lifespan.

The Dean of Physical Sciences, Prof. Emmanuel K. Essel, in his remarks expressed gratitude to the Alumni Association for the gesture and assured them the equipment will be put to great use.

The Provost of CANS, Prof. Moses Jojo Eghan, chaired the inauguration which was attended by faculty and students.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

 

UCC at 60 Innovation Report and 2023-2027 UCC Research Agenda launched

02 Jun, 2022 By DIS

The Vice-Chancellor of University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, has launched two documents – the University of Cape Coast at 60 Innovation Report and the 2023 to 2027 University of Cape Coast Research Agenda.

The UCC at 60 Innovation Report chronologically chronicles discoveries by Faculty in the past sixty years of the University’s existence with the UCC 2023-2027 Research Agenda, the third by the University, capturing the University’s research outline for the next five years. 

Ahead of launching the documents, the Vice-Chancellor in his welcome address noted that the University since its establishment in 1962 had produced internationally competitive research and scholarly outputs and innovations which have addressed complex existing and emerging challenges.

By this feat, he noted, excellence in higher education nationally, regionally and globally had become a defining attribute of the University. In demonstration of its excellence and leadership in higher education across the globe, Prof. Nyarko Boampong indicated that the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2022 placed UCC as the number one (1) university in Ghana and West Africa, fourth (4th) in Africa, among the top three hundred and fifty (350) universities globally and number one (1) globally for research influence. He added that in 2022, THE World University Rankings pegged UCC as the only university in Ghana captured in the top one thousand (1000) universities worldwide.

Dignitaries at the launching of the UCC at 60 Innovation Report and 2023-2027 Research Agenda, and Special Awards

 

The Vice Chancellor further noted the integral roles research and innovation play in addressing the complexities and developmental challenges distressing society. He made special mention of food security and safety, climate change, safe environment, sanitation as well as equity and security and how research and innovation, the fulcrum of socio-economic growth and development, could be employed to address them.

Launching the documents, Prof Nyarko Boampong charged faculty and supporting staff of the University to take advantage of the two documents especially at a time when research at UCC has been increasingly acknowledged worldwide. He also mentioned that the University rankings had become increasingly competitive and the challenge now was for UCC to maintain the enviable record.

On his part, the Chairman of the UCC Governing Council, Prof. Obeng Mireku, who chaired the Launching of UCC at 60 Innovation Report, 2023-2027 Research Agenda and Special Award Ceremony, said African universities and researchers are best placed to lead in the identification of their own developmental needs and produce social and technological innovations through the conduct of relevant research.

 

Prof. Obeng Mireku, Chairman of UCC Governing Council

 

To him, the launch of the UCC at 60 Innovation report was a demonstration of the University’s contribution to social and technological innovations over the past 60 years. He also noted that the 2023-2027 Research Agenda was an important policy and practice document which would guide research activities of faculty and students for the next five years.

“The Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) is convinced that research should not be the final objective of intellectual processes but rather a component of the never-ending cycle of innovation to meet societal requirements” he added.

The event which was on the theme, “Academia-Industry Innovation Matchmaking; Practical Steps for 21st Century Universities” was graced by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mrs. Rosemond Boohene; Registrar, Mr. Jeff Teye E. Onyame, past Vice-Chancellors and Pro Vice-Chancellors, Provost, Directors, Deans and invited guests from sister tertiary institutions. Also present was the General Manager of the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF), Ms Hamdiya Ismaila, who was the guest speaker.

At the ceremony, a renowned Ghanaian Physician and Scientist, Prof Felix I. D. Konotey-Ahulu and some other ninety-three (93) accomplished academics were awarded for their contribution to research at the University of Cape Coast.

About DRIC

The Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) was established in August 2013 following the promulgation of a research agenda for the University of Cape Coast for the period 2012 – 2017. The DRIC is a registered member of Ghana Association of Consultants (GAC. 0182).

DRIC envisions being a Research, Innovation and Consultancy Directorate that is strongly positioned, with a world-wide acclaim.

Its mission is to oversee Consultancy Services engaged in by individuals and groups in the University; implement the University’s research agenda; and create conducive environment to nurture creativity and innovation.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

UCC honours Prof. Konotey-Ahulu and 93 other scholars

UCC honours Prof. Konotey-Ahulu and 93 other scholars

02 Jun, 2022 By DIS

The University of Cape Coast, UCC, has honoured Prof. Felix Israel Domeno Konotey-Ahulu, an accomplished Ghanaian Physician and Scientist and ninety-three (93) other scholars.

The awards were presented during the launching of the UCC at 60 Innovation Report, 2023-2027 UCC Research Agenda, and Special Awards Ceremony held on the theme, “Academia Industry Innovation Matchmaking: Practical steps for 21st Century Universities.”

The awards were in recognition of their outstanding research works which largely contributed to the University of Cape Coast’s ranking as a top university in terms of research influence by the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings (WUR).

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings (WUR) 2022 placed UCC as the number one (1) university in Ghana and West Africa, fourth (4th) in Africa, among the top three hundred and fifty (350) universities globally and number one (1) globally for research influence. THE WUR also pegged UCC as the only university in Ghana captured in the top one thousand (1000) universities worldwide.

Awards and Categories

The awards grouped into nine (9) categories included; Strategic Leadership Excellence Award, Technical and Administrative Support Awards, Awards for former and current staff of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) and Top ten scholars in UCC based on total number of papers in Scopus all time. The others included Top ten Scholars in UCC based on nominal citations of papers all time, Top 10 Scholars in UCC based on H-index of papers all time, Top ten Scholars in UCC based on total number of papers in Scopus from 2016 - 2020  and Top ten scholars in UCC based on nominal citations of papers from 2016-2020.

Registrar of UCC presenting an award to Prof. Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah, an awardee.

Among the awardees were some former principal officers of the University- Prof. Domwini Dabire Kuupole (former VC), Prof Joseph Ghartey Ampiah (immediate past VC), Prof. George K.T. Oduro (former Pro VC), Prof Dora F. Edu-Buandoh (immediate past Pro VC) and the immediate past Registrar, Mr.John Kofi Nyan.

Others were the current Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, former directors and deputy directors of DRIC as well as the current directors. They all received citations of honour.

Special Research Excellence Awards

The event also had a Special Research Excellence Awards category for Prof. Felix I. D. Konotey-Ahulu, who is celebrated as one of the world's foremost experts on sickle-cell disease. With one hundred and eleven (111) papers in Scopus all time, he was appreciated for emerging the first top scholar in the University of Cape Coast. He was also awarded for being among the top ten scholars in UCC based on H-index of papers all time.

The awards which were citations of honour were received on behalf of the distinguished Professor by a delegation from the Manya Krobo Traditional Council led by a Divisional Chief, Nene Adjiso III.

Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Prof. Konotey-Ahulu who addressed the gathering virtually, was grateful for the honour done him and his fellow academics.  He further donated to the University a bust of himself he received on his ninetieth birthday from Prof. Nadey Hakim, the world’s leading transplant surgeon. The bust is estimated to cost thirty-nine thousand Pounds (£ 39, 000).

Call on Awardees and staff to maintain gains of UCC

Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, reiterated the need to position the University in manner that would maintain its gains over the years.

He noted that getting recognised with an award of excellence in one’s line of work was a positive reinforcement, which would thereby motivate the awardees and other staff to give off their best for the good of humanity.

He used the opportunity to thank the awardees for their dedicated efforts to the University.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

The General Manager of the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF), Ms Hamdiya Ismaila

GM of Venture Capital Trust calls for industry engagement in research agenda

02 Jun, 2022 By DIS

The General Manager of the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF), Ms Hamdiya Ismaila, has called for a strong partnership between academia and industry to drive Ghana’s economic growth.

 

 According to her, such collaboration would enable universities get funding from industry, whereas industry gets the needed research from universities.

 

Ms. Ismaila said this at the launch of the University of Cape Coast at 60 Innovation Report, UCC 2023-2027 Research Agenda, and Special Awards Ceremony. The UCC at 60 Innovation Report chronologically chronicles discoveries by Faculty in the past sixty years of the University’s existence with the UCC 2023-2027 Research Agenda, the third by the University, capturing the University’s research outline for the next five years. 

It was on the theme: "Academia Industry Innovation Matchmaking: Practical steps for 21st Century Universities.”

 

Ms. Ismaila, who was the guest speaker at the ceremony, noted that academia should not work in isolation; instead industry should be involved in any research agenda.

 

“If industry is involved in setting the agenda, industry will pay for the cost because funding has been a very key issue around research in academia," she said, adding: “there are a lot of researches here (UCC) but industry is not aware."

 

The General Manager pointed out that “building bridges between university researchers and businesses is critical for knowledge transfer. This is no longer an option. It's a must".

 

Ms Hamdiya maintained that industry had had issues with academia because "certain research does not pass for promotion." She was of the view that academia were not making their research works available to the public because  researchers feared that industry would take advantage of their research works to exploit them of their intellectual property.

 

She therefore entreated academia to patent their research works to generate revenue for their intellectual property right.

 

"As a measure of financial success, patent, licensing, royalties, that is where we are going and that is where the collaboration discussion should focus" she added.

 

Source:  Documentation and Information Section-UCC

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