The new Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, has indicated his commitment to lead the process of transforming the University into a World Class Entrepreneurial University with a global competitive edge.

To achieve this, Prof. Boampong said “My vision is to reposition UCC as the global hub of creative thinkers, offering demand-driven programmes, integrated with practical entrepreneurial courses and actively translating the products of its innovative research, for sustainable development.”

The Vice-Chancellor pointed out that his vision would be realised by ensuring that “the University creates a niche by providing quality, equitable and inclusive education that empowers the graduates to be independent, lifelong learners and responsible citizens, who have passion for job creation while contributing to public service”.

Prof. Boampong made these statements during his investiture as the new Vice-Chancellor of the University. At the same function, Mr. Jeff Teye Emmanuel Onyame was inducted as the new Registrar.
 

Strategies   

Outlining the strategies to achieve his vision, the new Vice-Chancellor said he would provide exemplary academic leadership and operate an all-inclusive governance system by focusing on increasing students’ intake and ensuring their success and welfare as well as prioritising academic distinctiveness. In addition, he noted that his administration would   generate revenue and maintain fiscal discipline; enhance visibility and promote internationalization; and also create an organisational culture and improve efficiency and effectiveness of the governance system.
    
The Vice-Chancellor said under his leadership, the University would work to produce ethically responsible graduates with employable and entrepreneurial skills. “This requires a thorough audit of all academic programmes, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, to promote harmonization, in order to reduce duplication of courses at various departments” He stressed that “New demand-driven programmes will, therefore, be introduced and a stimulus fund for STEM and Entrepreneurship education created”.

Concept of "Entrepreneurial University"

The Vice-Chancellor noted that the concept of “Entrepreneurial University” was the emerging trend stressing that “What makes this emerging concept significant and appealing to me, particularly within these uncertain times, is how the COVID-19 pandemic has called to question existing paradigms, and, is attempting to redirect our focus to novel ways of doing things”.

Prof. Boampong indicated that though he was a scientist, he had come to the realisation that the concept of the Entrepreneurial University was the catalyst for development of the University. “My primary calling and career trajectory has been that of a scientist but, having interacted widely with both industry and the academy throughout my professional life, I come into this academic conversation with an intimate connection and passion for innovation that the concept of Entrepreneurial Universities evokes” he explained.

Coming from the background as an entrepreneur, Prof. Boampong explained that “My understanding of a world class entrepreneurial university is one that seeks to work out a substantial shift in organizational character so as to arrive at a more promising posture for the future”. In his opinion, an Entrepreneurial University seeks to become “stand-up” university that is a significant actor in its own terms. 

UCC Design Thinking and Business Development Centre  

One of the ways Prof. Boampong said he would accomplish his vision was to upgrade the School of Business Incubation Centre and resource it into a university-wide Entrepreneurial Centre to be called UCC Design Thinking and Business Development Centre.  “This Centre will collaborate with the Ministry for Business Development, Industry, financial institutions and UCC Enterprise Limited, to reinforce practical entrepreneurship and nurture the entrepreneurial talents of students, and assist them to create and manage their businesses, and/or possibly partner the University to run joint ventures,” he explained.

To further strengthen practice-oriented teaching and learning activities, Prof. Boampong said the Centre for Teaching Support, would be restructured into Teaching and Learning Support Centre which would include an Instructional Design Unit for the organisation of workshops for lecturers and other tutors in UCC affiliated institutions. He indicated that the Centre would run Professional Education programmes for teachers at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels.

Prof. Boampong also said he would resource existing laboratories and linked them to form integrated laboratories to strengthen research. “Efforts will also be made, to create General Physical Laboratories where expensive equipment will be kept, for common use” he pledged. He said DRIC would be tasked to collaborate with UCC Design Thinking and Business Development Centre to guarantee that research outputs are translated and developed further to create businesses.

Partnership with Industry

Furthermore, to make the University relevant to changing trends and also support various government policies, Prof. Boampong stated that existing partnerships with industry would be expanded by co-opting experts from industry, to be part of the deliberations of Departments, Faculties and Colleges, for their expert advice and guidance.

The Vice-Chancellor said the proposed University-wide Entrepreneurial Centre would work in collaboration with identifiable units to create viable businesses where UCC has competitive advantage.  

He said his administration would encourage Workers’ Unions and other entities to partner the University to create new businesses, and part of the profits, would be used to enhance the welfare of the workers. “Similarly, financial disciplinary procedures to procure goods and services will be followed,” he added.

Other areas the new Vice-Chancellor mentioned would receive attention under his leadership were physical and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, research, university-community/stakeholders relations, enhancing visibility and internationalisation of the University. 
    

 Present at the function were the Omanhen of Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II; Minister of State in-charge of Tertiary Education, Prof. Kwesi Yankah; Central Regional Minister, Mr. Kwamena Duncan, Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Tsutomu Himeno. The rest are the Chairman of National Accreditation Board, Prof. Kofi Awusabo-Asare; Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh; Heads of other public and private tertiary institutions; former Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of UCC, members of UCC Council; Provosts, Deans, Directors, clergy, and some members of Convocation. 

The University of Cape Coast through the School of Agriculture has partnered Agri-Impact to embark on a Greenhouse Project to cultivate vegetables for the University Community and the general public.
        
The project is being funded by the Ghana Export-Import Bank at a cost of $ 250,000 with10 greenhouses at the A. G. Carson Technology Area at the North Campus. The project has engaged the services of 20 youth including past students of the University who are cultivating cucumber, sweet pepper, and tomatoes in the greenhouses.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah who witnessed the first harvesting of vegetables at the Greenhouses, noted that the project was the University’s contribution to the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs programme. He commended the School of Agriculture for partnering Agri-Impact to initiate the project adding that “This is a great feat for the School of Agriculture and it is my expectation that you will take good care of the structure so that we can own and expand this project”. 

Prof. Ampiah urged the University Community to patronise produce from the farms so that the project could be expanded to enable the general public to also benefit from the hygienic vegetables from the greenhouses. He advised the School of Agriculture to take good care of the greenhouses in order to sustain the project. 

The Acting Farm Manager, Dr. Ebenezer Gyamera, explained that the project was a test case for UCC to prove that it could successfully make good use of the greenhouses to produce and sell hygienic vegetables to raise revenue. “We plan to make at least a net profit of GH ¢500, 000 each year,” he predicted.

 He noted that Agri-Impact initially did not want to include public institutions however, the University was able to convince the organisation to select UCC as a beneficiary of the project “We have even led the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to also undertake the project” he indicated. 

Dr. Gyamera thanked the Vice-Chancellor for showing interest in the project and approving the payment of UCC’s contribution towards the project.

In a related development, the Vice-Chancellor has handed over modern equipment for farming to the School of Agriculture. They are Mechanical Planter, Power Tiller, and other irrigation equipment. The equipment worth GH ¢ 2 million which was sponsored by the College of Distance Education is to support the University Farm to boost mechanical farming.

 The Dean of the School of Agriculture, Prof. Elvis Asare Bediako who received the items thanked the Vice-Chancellor for approving the deal to purchase the equipment.

The University of Cape Coast has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ghana Police Service to train personnel of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Forensic Investigation.
    
With the signing of the MoU, the University through the Department of Forensic Sciences will mentor the CID Detective Training Academy (DTA) in Accra to run programmes at various academic levels including certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate.

Unique Collaboration

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, said the collaboration with the Police Service was a unique one, since it offered the University the opportunity to contribute towards fighting crime and also ensuring peace and security in the country. Prof. Ampiah noted that the University was gradually extending its tentacles to cover all the security agencies in the country. “We have already entered into a similar collaboration with the Ghana National Fire Service and we want to assure you that UCC will equip your personnel to effectively carry out their duties,” he pledged.

The Vice-Chancellor commended the Police Administration for selecting UCC for the collaboration and congratulated them for including an academic component to the training of its personnel. He said through the affiliation, UCC faculty would share their expertise and experiences with tutors to provide quality professional and academic training to personnel of the CID in particular. This, he said would be extended to other personnel of the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies with investigative arm.

Benefits

Touching on some of the benefits of the affiliation to the Ghana Police Service, Prof. Ampiah indicated that the University had a strong collaboration with Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) in India, one of the best institutions in Forensic Sciences in the world from which the service can benefit. “Gujarat has offered scholarships to some of our staff and students and they have even promised to establish a training centre at UCC, so the Ghana Police Service can also benefit from their expertise,” he announced.

Academic Training

On his part, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. James Oppong-Boanuh, who signed the MoU on behalf of Ghana Police Service, noted that DTA trained sister security agencies and other state organisations on criminal and forensic investigation. He was hopeful that the affiliation would provide top-notch academic training to personnel in addition to the professional skills and expertise they would acquire from the training. “We look forward to churning out highly competent investigators to complement the services of the police through this collaboration,” he added.

Mr. Oppong-Boanuh said the affiliation would serve as a model to rope in other regional and national training schools of the Service, namely “the Ghana Police Academy which trains new recruits and junior officers and the Command and Staff Training School for senior officers”.

The Inspector General of Police thanked the University for accepting to mentor them adding that “I am hopeful that this will be a win-win partnership to both institutions”. He indicated that UCC lecturers were very familiar with the police environment already and it was his expectation that personnel from the service would receive the best of training to enable them to become confident when conducting investigations. 

Present were some Management members of the University and the Ghana Police Service