The issue of plastic waste has become a global concern because of its devastating effect on the environment.

To curb this menace, TEDxUniversityofCapeCoast —  an organisation on campus committed to societal outreach —  has embarked on sensitisation programme at Kwaprow M/A Basic School to raise awareness about the harmful effects of plastic pollution on the environment and people.

The programme, which was organised in collaboration with Green Africa Youth Organisation, was also aimed at promoting recycling practices among pupils to complement national efforts at solving the menace of plastic waste in the country.

The event was dubbed: "Plastic Pollution: A Growing Threat to our Planet, Understanding the Impact of Plastic Pollution on Climate Change”.

The group believes school children have the power to influence their peers and families to drive for proper plastic waste management within the communities in which they live.

The Organiser of TEDxUniversityofCapeCoast, Mr. Tebson Haruna Mohammed, speaking to class four pupils of the school, explained that environmental pollution had dire consequences on the individual and the country as a whole.

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Mr. Tebson Haruna Mohammed speaking to class four pupils of Kwaprow M/A School

According to him, Ghanaians had become over-reliant on disposable plastic, leading to severe environmental consequences.

Therefore, he stressed that collective effort would be required to salvage the situation and bring the purely human-generated problem under control.

Mr. Mohammed called on schoolchildren to volunteer to collect empty plastic bottles and sachet water rubbers in their vicinities in order not to pollute the environment.

Speaking further, he pointed out that one serious consequence of the indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste was the pollution of water bodies, especially plastic materials in water bodies, destroying aquatic life and adversely affecting the livelihood of fisher folk.

"There is the need to segregate waste to ensure that plastic is treated separately from other waste materials. It is a fact that plastic can be recycled and put to other uses," he added.

Mr. Mohammed advised school children to be part of the fight against plastic pollution by practicing proper waste disposal to keep the environment clean and safe for generations to come.

He called on members of the public to properly manage their plastic waste and stressed the need for the nation to recycle plastic and organic waste into other useful products as a form of generating revenue for the economy.

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Executive members of TEDxUniversityofCapeCoast 

An Executive Member of TEDxUniversityofCapeCoast, Ms. Jacqueline Ballang, in a remark, noted that it was a collective responsibility for all to be involved in creating awareness about environmental protection.

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Some staff members of Kwaprow M/A and the executive members of TEDxUniversityofCapeCoast

“We must remember that this is not merely a fight against climate change or plastic pollution, we are fighting for our lives and for our future, and we all have a very important part to play. All we have is our environment and it is our responsibility to keep it clean for our own good,” she told the school children”.

She noted that TEDxUniversityofCapeCoast was targeting school children because research had shown that pupils were used as agents of change in developed countries.

Source: Documentation and Information Section

The Ghana Science Association, Cape Coast, has organised a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education workshop for science teachers in the Twifo Ati Morkwa District of the Central Region.

The one-day workshop, on the theme: “Igniting Innovation: Empowering Educators in STEM Education,” was aimed at equipping teachers with practical skills in handling science classes and supporting the students to develop interest in science.

A Senior Lecturer at the Department of Science Education, UCC, Dr. Kofi Acheaw Owusu, who took the participants through general pedagogy and specific teaching strategies, encouraged science teachers to embrace the new teaching methodology to whip up interest among pupils and students.

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Dr. Kofi Acheaw Owusu addressing the participants

He advised teachers to prepare their lesson notes regularly since that was the foremost preparation expected of every teacher who was committed to his or her work and cautioned them not to teach students as if they were teaching their co-equals in class.

“Learners should be engaged physically and cognitively in the knowledge acquisition process, in a rich and rigorous inquiry-driven environment. Just allow them to play an active role,” he said, stressing that teaching must be learner-centered.

Dr. Owusu continued: “The students should do more of the work because they require the knowledge, thus, the role of the teacher will then change from being a giver of knowledge to a facilitator and assistant in the teaching and learning process.”

He pointed out that the classroom must become discussion-oriented instead of lecture-based, indicating that teachers must craft activities in advance to engage students in the teaching and learning process.

The Cape Coast Branch President of the Association, Dr. Benjamin Aboagye, said the workshop was in line with its mandate to adopt best practices and improve on science education.

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Dr. Benjamin Aboagye

He underscored the need to equip the teachers with 21st Century teaching skills.

“This is the time we have to train the teachers to know how to get the students involved in the teaching process and get them to understand whatever they are teaching.” Dr. Aboagye added.

In a remark, the District Chief Executive, Mr. Robert Agyemang, expressed worry that STEM subjects were not popular in the District, and, therefore, it was important to broaden science education to whip interest and create more opportunities for children with potentials in the field.

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Some participants in the workshop

Mr. Isaac Ofori, a participant of the workshop and  science teacher at the Morkwa Senior High School, said the training had enlightened him about how to engage students to critically think in the classroom. Mr. Ofori said he was going to replicate what he had learnt in the classroom to get the best out of his students.

Prof. Ernest Anderson, of the Department of Physics at the UCC, also took the teachers through the rudiments of physics education in the classroom.

Source: Documentation and Information Section

A professor of Finance and Entrepreneurship, Prof. Daniel Agyapong, has called for the introduction of Entrepreneurial and Start-up law to transform and impact positively on Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operations in the country.

Such a law, according to Prof. Agyapong, would debar politicians from making new manifestoes about SMEs during electioneering campaigns.

He said this was necessary in view of the fact that the SME sector contributed significantly to the growth of Ghana.

Prof. Agyapong said this during his inaugural lecture held at the School of Graduate Studies Auditorium of the University of Cape Coast (UCC).

It was on the topic: " Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprises’ Development Night Journey: The Road Monsters. Fairies, and Angels".

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Prof. Agyapong with his immediate family.

The event was attended by some past Vice-Chancellors of the UCC, members of academia, civil society organisations and other personalities.

He used the occasion to also call for Financial Support Scheme Act for business development services for SMEs in the country.

Prof. Agyapong, who is the Director of the Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance, observed that SMEs employees who pilfer from the enterprise were hindering the progress of SMEs.

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Some members of the audience at the event.

He underscored the need for a curriculum in education that were relevant to the skills and needs of the job market.

He said entrepreneurship should serve as a detonator in the country to help address the nagging issue of youth and graduate unemployment.

“For me, I believe that one of the ways to ensure social transformation is SME,” he added.

Prof. Agyapong noted that Ghana’s SMEs face considerable challenges in growing their businesses, including limited access to finance and quality technical assistance, as well as high taxation amongst others.

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Prof. Agyapong being robed by some members of the College of Professors.

 As part of his contributions to the sector, Prof. Agyapong said he had trained entrepreneurs on good financial management, provided skills set for struggling businesses to survive and thrive and helped them to adapt to the evolving market trends.

He stressed the need to instill the mindset of entrepreneurship in the younger generation.

He said it was for that reason that the School of Business at UCC was training students in entrepreneurship to generate ideas and recognise business opportunities.

He mentioned home, community and school as agents of socialisation of the stages of developing entrepreneurial mindset.

Prof. Daniel Agyapong at a glance:

• Born in 1974

• Hails from Sefwi Anhiawso in the Western North Region of Ghana

• Attended Suhum Secondary Technical School (SUTESCO)

• Gained admission to UCC in 1999

• Employed at UCC as a Senior Research Assistant in 2004 and rose to the rank of Principal Research Assistant

• Pursued a 2-year Master of Philosophy in Business Administration (Finance) at the University of Ghana in 2005 and completed in 2007.

• Appointed as a lecturer at UCC in 2009

• Promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer in 2013

• Had PhD in Business Administration (Finance) from Open University Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) in 2015

• Became an Associate Professor in 2017

• Promoted to a full-fledged Professor in Finance and Entrepreneurship in February 2021

• Published extensively with over 70 research outputs, focusing on Conventional Finance and Small and Medium Enterprise financing

• Current Director of the Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance at UCC since August 2022

• A member of the University of Cape Coast

Interdenominational Church (UIC)

• Married to Prof. Gloria K.Q Agyapong, with three children

• Delivered inaugural lecture on the topic: “Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprises’ Development Night Journey: The Road Monsters. Fairies, and Angels,” on Thursday, 1 February, 2024.

Source: Documentation and Information Section

The University of Cape Coast has graduated 15,505 students who successfully completed their programme of studies requirements to earn various degrees from the institution.

The graduands were from the College of Education Studies, College of Humanities and Legal Studies, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and the College of Health and Allied Sciences.

Among the graduates included 28-year-old physically challenged, David Osei Pipim, with a CGPA of 3.6, who came out with a First Class in Communication Studies.

Addressing the graduands during the first to sixth sessions of the 56th Congregation, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, who commended the students for their successful completion of their academic programmes, urged them to be outstanding in whatever field they found themselves and become ambassadors for the institution.

He said the University would continue to strive to maintain its standards of excellence in higher education for meaningful societal impact.

He advised the graduands to make a positive impact in their various fields of endeavour.

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Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong 

Prof. Boampong pointed out that despite the positive strides management had made towards infrastructural development, the University was still grappling with deficit in infrastructural, especially students’ accommodation on campus which had forced most students to rent hostels and apartments around campus.

The situation, according to him, had resulted in high incidence of theft and robbery attacks on students, undermining efforts to ensure the safety of students.

The Vice-Chancellor expressed worry about some failed agreements with certain organisations to put up hostels in the past and expressed the University’s resolve to deal with the accommodation challenge through a collaboration with the UCC branch of the Ghana Universities’ Staff Superannuation Scheme.

He, however, reported that the Science Annex building project that started some fifteen years ago had been completed, awaiting commissioning.

“We are grateful to both past and present GETFund administrators for the continuous support. Without them we would not have come this far. Not only are we getting laboratories to facilitate teaching and learning but will also have a number of office space for our academic staff,” he said.

Prof. Boampong used the occasion to remind the graduands about UCC’s position as the topmost ranked University in Ghana and West Africa and amongst the top 10 ranked universities in Africa.

“UCC still remains the only university in Ghana which has achieved this position in West Africa and Africa,” he continued.

“This achievement demonstrates the reputation of the scholarly research outputs of UCC, particularly over the past decade. By this feat, UCC has also demonstrated its contribution to higher education and the impact of its scholarly outputs in Ghana, Africa and the world,” Prof. Boampong added.

The Vice-Chancellor indicated that “sustaining this feat also behoves each one of us to diligently play their part in fulfilling the University’s core mandate of teaching, research, and community service.

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A section of graduands at the ceremony

He appealed to the University community to ensure that the campus was violent-free ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The Vice-Chancellor advised the student body, staff and management to be tolerant of one another, reminding them of the potential dangers which accompanied conflict and war.

 Source: Documentation and Information Section