The UCC School of Business has won the maiden edition of the Tertiary Business Sense Challenge (TBSC) organised by Graphic Communications Group Limited.

With 50 points, UCC triumphed over Wisconsin International University College which managed to secure 24 points.  The UCC team trampled over all the institutions it contested from the group stages to the grand finale of the challenge.

The University for Development Studies (UDS) which placed third position with 41 points defeated the University of Ghana, which obtained 39 points.

 UCC Team

UCC was represented by Ms. Gillian Asiedu-Danso, Mr Shadrack Duodu Tawiah and Ms Judith Hooper of the School of Business in the quiz competition.  The others were Mr Emmanuel Nwanwa Mensah, Ms Bernice Nkrumah-Boadu and Ms Keith Mesiwotwo Kpende who supported the team with all the research work.

Prize for Winners

For their prize, each of the team members from UCC received a laptop, GH ¢   20, 000 life insurance from GLICO and products from the supporting sponsors. Each member of the team also received scholarships from the Chartered Institute of Management (CIMA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG).

Coaches for UCC Team

The coaches for the UCC team were Dr. Edward Amarteifio and Dr. Otuo Serebour Agyemang- both lecturers at the School of Business. In an interview, the Coach of the team Dr. Amarteifio, said lots of effort and sacrifices went into the preparation towards the contest. According to him, he was not surprised that UCC stood tall among all the Universities that competed in the challenge. He congratulated the students on their victory and also making the School of Business in particular and the University in general proud.  

Institutions for the Competition

In all 14 tertiary institutions contested in the challenge including the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC).

The rest are the University of Education, Winneba, the Central University , the Radford University College, the African University College of Communications (AUCC), the Dominion University College , the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the University for Development Studies, the Methodist University College and the Wisconsin University College

Tertiary Business Sense Challenge

TBSC, a quiz contest for tertiary schools initiated by the Graphic Business to help stimulate intellectual competition among students in the various tertiary schools nationwide. The competing schools were quizzed on business-related topics and also questions from the Graphic Business newspaper.

Sponsors

The competition was supported by the Ministry of Business Development. Other supporting sponsors were GLICO. the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the British Council, Fidelity Bank, Accra Brewery Ltd (ABL), BIC and Passion Air.

A delegation from the University of Cape Coast,  is participating in a 10-day inaugural African Centres of Excellence (ACE) Impact workshop and boot camp in Djibouti to learn, network and share experiences.

ACEs and their partners, the Association of African Universities (AAU), National Councils for Tertiary Education and other stakeholders with support from the World Bank converged on Monday, February 18, 2019 for the workshop and boot camp with a concerted goal of strengthening research, academic and development programmes at national and continental levels.

The UCC delegation led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah include Prof. Denis Worlanyo Aheto, the Director of the Centre; Dr. Precious Mattah, the Deputy Director; Mrs. Elizabeth Obese, the Director of Finance; Mr. Eric Agyenim-Boateng, the Project Accountant; Mr. Nicholas Ampofo, Procurement Officer; and Mr. Joshua Adotey, the Project’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.

Importance of the Meeting

The meeting was also aimed at nurturing innovation and learning from shared experiences. The ACE participating countries include Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Cote D’ivoire, Togo, Cameroon, Djibouti, Senegal, and Niger. In addition, meetings provided a platform for existing and new centres to obtain guidance on project preparation, exchange information on their respective programmes, and build networks and forge partnerships to ensure the successful implementation of selected projects. It also aimed to create an opportunity for the new ACEs to interact and learn from existing centres.

It would be recalled that in September, 2018, the University of Cape Coast was competitively selected by the World Bank to establish the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR) on its campus. The selection brings the university into a network of 44 Centres of Excellence (ACEs) in Africa approved by the World Bank to host a Regional Centre of Excellence. 

Benefit of the Centre to UCC

The University of Cape Coast will receive a counterpart funding to the tune of US$ 6.5 million from the World Bank and Government of Ghana to implement the project. The call for proposals was rolled out by the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Regional Facilitation Unit (RFU) of the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project, with support from the World Bank, under the ACE for Development Impact Project.

The multi-year project (2019-2023) was officially launched at the continental level among the other ACEs by H.E. Mr. Ismail Omar Guelleh, the President of the Republic of Djibouti at the 10th Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) Workshop and Bootcamp on 20th February, 2019 in Djibouti.

ACECoR will support technical capacity development of young African professionals to address issues of coastal degradation within the sub-region, as well as promote the sustainable utilization and management of marine and coastal assets in the partner countries through collaboration with academia, research institutions and industry, locally and will secure international partnerships.

Among others ACECoR will:

• establish new and relevant post-graduate programs to address the challenges of coastal degradation within the sub-region;
• provide support for the development and delivery of short courses in the areas mentioned, accredited to relevant international bodies;
• develop mentoring support systems for faculty for effective administration and management, as well as course delivery;
• provide incentives for lecturers to teach, guide research and provide in-service training to professionals in delivery of short courses;
• provide Smart Classrooms with state-of the art facilities including science laboratories with equipment to promote research and deliver the trainings;
• supply computer hardware and software to deliver the course to the expected standards; and
• provide placements for selected students and lecturers to attend conferences, workshops to upgrade their skills, with fees paid and living expenses funded by this Project

Academic Programmes to be run by the Centre

In terms of academic programmes, the Centre will admit and train 120 postgraduate students made up of thirty (30) PhD and ninety (90) masters students. The Centre will ensure strong industry linkages, encourage female participation and will facilitate an estimated 40% of total student intake into the program from within the African sub-region. ACECoR will work towards developing and securing local and international accreditation for modular academic programmes in the following areas:

• PhD/MPhil Marine and Coastal Engineering
• PhD/MPhil Forestry Engineering
• PhD/MPhil Marine Meteorology
• PhD/MPhil Physical Oceanography
• PhD/MPhil Disaster Risk Management and Migration
• PhD/MPhil Integrated Coastal Zone Management
• PhD/MPhil Fisheries Science
• PhD/MPhil Blue Economy and Social Resilience

The first batch of students are expected to be admitted in August at the beginning of the 2019/2020 academic year.

The Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Science and  Technology Education, Prof. Douglas D. Agyei, has noted that UCC will continue to offer quality academic services to its affiliate institutions.

Prof. Agyei noted that UCC provided the best mentorship to its affiliate institutions stressing that “Currently, several institutions are knocking on the doors of UCC for affiliation due to the quality of services we offer our affiliate institutions”.

Prof. Agyei gave these assurances when he represented the University at the joint Matriculation Ceremony of the School of Anaesthesia, Ophthalmic Nursing School, Public Health Nurses School, School of Peri Operative, and Critical Care Nursing for students admitted to pursue various programmes in the 2018/2019 Academic Year. Prof. Agyei was accompanied by the Head of Institutional Affiliation Office, Mr. Justice Agyenim Boateng.

UCC Does not Compromise on Quality             

The Vice Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Information and Communication Technology told the matriculants that “University of Cape Coast-the University of Competitive Choice will continue to mentor your respective institutions to offer quality academic services to you”. He advised the students put in a lot of effort in their studies in order to obtain good classes “Remember that UCC does not compromise on its quality academic standards; therefore, you must be prepared to uphold these standards at all times. The UCC certificate is not earned on a silver platter; it is awarded to deserving students who put in more efforts in their academic work”.

He urged the students to count themselves as fortunate for being among the few applicants admitted to pursue the specialised programme being offered in the four institutions. “I can confidently say that you have made the right decision to study in an institution affiliated to the University of Competitive Choice,” he noted.

Achieving Sustainable Goal 3

According to Prof. Agyei, the Sustainable Development Goal 3 which aimed at “Ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” could be attained by training the needed human resource, especially in the field of Anaesthesia, Ophthalmic Nursing, Public Health, Peri Operative, and Critical Care Nursing. He called on Management and tutors of the respective institutions to create a conducive academic environment that would promote teaching, learning and research.

Work Hard to Succeed in Your Field of Specialisation

A representative of Health Training Institutions (HTI), Mrs. Salina Dussey, who administered the matriculation oath, charged the students to work extremely hard if they wanted to succeed in their chosen field of specialisation. She was confident that the students would live up to expectation by successfully completing their respective programmes of study to contribute towards the provision of quality health care delivery in facilities they would be working in after their studies.

Address Concerns of Health Delivery in the Country

The President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, Dr. Kwaku Asante Krobea, called on health training institutions to partner with stakeholders in the health sector to address concerns of health delivery in the country. He appealed to government through the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service to provide a congenial environment, good infrastructure and equipment at the work place, capacity building for nurses and financial support for nurses to pursue further studies in specialised areas of the profession.

Heads of Institutions Matriculating Students

Heads of the various institutions presented their students to be matriculated at the ceremony. They were the Director of the School of Anaesthesia, Ridge, Dr. Evans Atto-Narh; Vice Principal of the School of Peri-Operative and Critical Care Nurse, Mrs. Caroline Antwi Asare; Principal of Ophthalmic Nursing, Mrs. Stella Antwi-Boasiako and the Principal of Public Health Nursing, Mrs. Martina Agbemabiese.

As part of promoting Chinese language and culture in Ghana, the UCC Confucius Institute has celebrated the third Spring Festival  on campus.

The Chinese Spring Festival

The Spring Festival is an annual event held in China and in Chinese communities around the world. This massive event takes place on different dates each year, but it typically begins during the beginning of February and continues until the middle of the same month.

The Chinese Spring Festival dates back to the beginning of the Shang Dynasty about 4000 years ago. During this time, the Spring Festival began as a tradition of respect to ancestors and deities during the close and beginning of years. In order to prepare for this festival, people clean every part of their homes and bodies. This ritual of spring cleaning is a tradition that continues in most parts of China even in today.

Celebration of Spring Festival on UCC Campus

Explaining the reasons for celebrating the festival on campus, the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute, Prof. Hu Liangcai, said the celebration was to help people understand the tradition and culture of  China.  He noted that for three years, the festival has been celebrated in a special way on campus under the auspices of the Confucius Institute for students and lecturers to experience the Chinese culture through various activities.

Appreciation to University Community and the General Public

Prof. Hu said he appreciated the enthusiasm, support and participation of the people of Ghana and UCC for making the 2019 Spring Festival Celebration a successful one, and wished the University Community in particular and the entire Ghanaians a happy life and a happy future. 

Participants of the Spring Festival on Campus

A number of students, lecturers and the general public took part in the festival which was held at the Congregation grounds. Some of them said they were fascinated by the arts and crafts; others also said they enjoyed the games and the sumptuous Chinese food at the occasion.

Amongst the functionaries present were the Ghanaian Director of Confucius Institute, Prof. Ishmael Mensah; the Headteacher, University Primary School (UPS), Mrs. Georgina Aglobitse; and some lecturers.  Members of Chinese Club of Confucius Institute – UCC, Chinese Volunteer Teachers, National Service Personnel and students were also present.