Search

08 Mar, 2023

ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE POSITION OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICER

The University of Cape Coast invites applications from suitably qualified and competent professionals for the post of Technology Transfer Officer (TTO).

 

Successful applicant will be directly responsible to the Director, Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) but ultimately to the Vice Chancellor through the Registrar.

 

Qualification/Experience

Candidates seeking appointment to this position Must:

·          Possess a PhD in Intellectual Property and/or related discipline.                                       

·         Possess a Master’s degree in Science, Law, Management, Social Sciences or related field with not less than three years working experience in research, intellectual property and technology transfer.

Essential Skills

·         Advanced communication and interpersonal skills

·         Research skills with entrepreneurial mind-set

·         Strong negotiation skills,

·         Knowledge about the legal and contractual issues in IP administration.

·         Business experience and acumen.

 

Job Description

·         Create and maintain database on all inventions and creations of staff and students of the University.

·         Planning, organising, evaluation and valuation of the IP portfolio of the University.

·         Serve as the first point-of-contact and source of information on the University IP portfolio, technology transfer and related matters for all external and internal stakeholders and partners.

·         Facilitate the appointment and functioning of Departmental/Faculty/College IP representatives.

·         Liaise with the Directorate of Consular and General Services to represent the interest of the University in the enforcement of the IP rights of students and staff.

·         Serve on, and provide administrative and professional support to the IP Technical Committee to implement the mandate of the TTO in accordance with University IP Policy and Strategies.

·         Work with the University Business Incubator, the Design Thinking and Innovation Hub (D-HUB) and related units to facilitate spin-off activities from various departments of the University.

·         Plan and implement training on IP, commercialisation of research outputs and related matters to the student and staff.

·         Lead the review and update of the University IP Policies, Strategies and procedures.

·         Supervise supporting staff to achieve key deliverables in the TTO.

·         Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the Directorate from time to time.

 

Mode of Application

Interested applicants who meet the above criteria should please submit completed application forms (obtainable from the DHR or from the University website: www.ucc.edu.gh) and comprehensive curriculum vitae, together with relevant supporting documents to:

The Registrar

University of Cape Coast

Cape Coast

 

Closing Date

·         Applicants should request three (3) referees to submit written reports on them directly to the above address.

·         The closing date for the receipt of applications is Friday, 31st March, 2023.

 

REGISTRAR

The SRC President presenting the t-shirts to coaches of the team

SRC donates customised T- Shirts to UCC Youngsters

08 Mar, 2023 By DIS

The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of University of Cape Coast (UCC) has presented sets of customized "T" shirts to UCC Youngsters, a Second Division Team of the University. 

The SRC General Sports Secretary, Mr. Lucas Tatul Ntapuan, presented the items to Mr Edward Nartey, the Acting Head of Sports Section.

Officials with players in the branded t-shirts

Mr. Ntapuan, who had scored three goals for UCC Youngsters in the Central Region Division Two League, called on the playing body to take their training seriously to enable them win all their matches in the league and ultimately qualify to play in the Access Bank Division One League next season. 

He lauded UCC Management's commitment to develop sports infrastructure which included the construction of the Sports Complex. 

Players cladded in their customised t-shirts

Mr. Nartey, who received the items on behalf of the Sports Section, thanked the SRC for the gesture.

He said UCC would focus on the development of grassroots football to unearth talents to feed the various national teams.

 

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

Participants listening with rapt attention

D-Hub trains young entrepreneurs

08 Mar, 2023 By DIS

The Design Thinking and Innovation Hub (D-Hub) of the University of Cape Coast in partnership with Access Bank and Development Bank Ghana, has sharpened the skills of young entrepreneurs, and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on entrepreneurial finance. 

 The workshop was on the theme, "Fundamentals of Entrepreneurial Finance-What Every Entrepreneur Should Know.”

A facilitator analysing a presentation by some participants

 Addressing industry players at the capacity training workshop, a senior lecturer at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprises (CESED-UCC), Dr. Charles Hackman Essel, said the success of any business was not solely hinged on the injection of money but rather ideas. He, therefore, entreated young entrepreneurs to come up with realistic business plans to win the attention of investors. 

 Dr. Essel said the University sought to enhance opportunities for hands-on learning and experimentation to encourage young people to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking potentials.

 He further urged young entrepreneurs to play an active role in the D-Hub and Access Bank initiatives by continuously developing their competencies, skills and professional capacities to stay relevant in the ecosystem.

 Earlier in his welcome address, the Zonal Head of Business Banking, Access Bank, Mr. Jones Darmoe, told participants that the Access Bank SME capacity building training was to engage various SMEs on best solutions the Bank could offer them. 

 According to him, Covid-19 had impacted small and medium enterprises in unprecedented ways and as such, digitisation was a sure bet to navigate the challenges presented.

Resource persons of the programme

 "At Access Bank we realize the need to equip SMEs to be better prepared for the current business trend. Our experience has shown that digitisation offers tremendous opportunities to increase productivity and create jobs" he said. 

 He explained that Access Bank was interested in empowering the youth because they were the greatest assets for building the future.

In a remark, the Director of D-Hub, Dr. Keren Arthur, urged participants to put to good use knowledge they acquired from the workshop.

 She said the current crop of entrepreneurs were interested in finding solutions to common problems of society and implored young entrepreneurs to enter into partnerships with others in the same sector.  This, she noted, would better position them to attract funding. 

Dr. Arthur said D-Hub was committed to supporting and promoting the youths’ ideas and skills for growth and development in the country.

 Other speakers from the Development Bank Ghana (DBG) and the Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA) also spoke extensively on their mandate to the young entrepreneurs.

 

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

Small holder farmer on his way to the farm

Smallholder farmers advised to take central role in social change

08 Mar, 2023 By DIS

A public lecture on the role of farmer organisations in collective action for the attainment of the SDGs has been held at the University of Cape Coast.

The lecture formed part of the Mobilizing Farmer Organisation for Sustainable Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa (FOMPO) Project, which seeks to explore the emergence and outcome of farmer mobilization for sustainable and small holder-centered agriculture development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Public Lecture was chaired by Professor Frederick Ato Armah, an Environmental and Sustainability Scientist, who is the country lead on the project. The lecture was attended by faculty and students of UCC, and other participants from Uganda, Zimbabwe, Sweden, and Ghana. 

 

Prof. Chad Bada speaking at the lectureP

Prof. Chad Boda

 

The first speaker was Chad Boda, an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at the Department of Urban Studies, Malmo University, Sweden. His topic was "Comparing Perspectives on the role of Smallholder Farmers in Sustainable Development." About two-thirds of the 3 billion rural people live in developing countries that about 475 million households are smallholder and work on lands less than 2 ha. These smallholdings often fail to generate sufficient income for the farmers’ families. They do, however, fulfil an important function and have the potential to make a significant contribution to the population’s food security as they produce around three quarters of the country’s staple foods.

According to him, smallholder farmers, who are the main actors in maintaining food security in developing countries, should prioritise advocacy to remain relevant and competitive in the sustainable development agenda. He reiterated the need for farmers to take an active role in social change. Prof. Boda also indicated that smallholder farmers could be competitive at any level provided the necessary measures including political freedom, social opportunities, protective security amongst others are put in place.

 

Prof. Frederick Ato Armah

Prof. Frederick Ato Armah, immediate past Director of DRIC.

 

The second speaker was Dr Ellinor Isgren (FOMPO Project PI), a Researcher at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), and a Senior Lecturer at the School for Global Studies, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She shared findings on smallholder farming from research studies in Uganda. Making her presentation on the topic: "From Policy to Politics in Sustainable Agriculture Development: The case of Rising Pesticides use in Smallholder Contexts", she noted that smallholder farmers produce about 90 per cent of the staple food citizens consumed in Uganda. This implied that they were the main actors in maintaining food security in the country.                             

She opined that the use of unapproved pesticides did not only pose health dangers to humanity but also environmental challenges that have dire consequences for the entire world. She said the use of unapproved pesticides portend dangers for the environment and human safety as well and advised farmers against patronising non-approved agrochemicals. Dr. Ellinor Isgren, called for the support of stakeholders in the agriculture value chain to educate farmers on the dangers of using illegal and fake pesticides.

She also called on African leaders to set clear-cut laws and regulations guiding the sales and use of agrochemicals and the need for the farmers and dealers to abide by them. According to her, such regulations are critical to ensure the chemicals did not find their ways into wrong hands and onto the market.

 

Dr Ellinor Isgren

Dr. Ellinor Isgren

 

An open forum during the public lecture identified a number of issues that are critical both the sustenance of smallholder farmers and the attainment of the SDGs. These included (a) innovative education and training options for producers; (b) new organisational forms such as cooperatives and start‐ups along the value chain from production to logistics and marketing; (c) financial support; (d) access to farming information; (e) suitable, low‐cost, and simple technological solutions and innovations; and (f) an enabling institutional environment.

In attendance were duty bearers of the University including Professor David Teye Doku (Director, DRIC), Prof Angela Akorsu (Dean, School for Development Studies and country co-lead on the FOMPO project), Dr Brandford Bervell (Deputy Director, DRIC), staff and senior members from DRIC, College of Humanities and Legal Studies, and the Department of Environmental Science, UCC.  

 

Group photograph after the public lecture

Family of Elolo Gharbin donating the books

Late Elolo Gharbin Family donates books to Dept. of Theatre and Film Studies

08 Mar, 2023 By DIS

The Department of Theatre and Film Studies has received a rare collection of theatre books from the family of the late Mr. Elolo Gharbin, a former lecturer at the Department who passed away in 2020. 

The family, led by Mrs. Sally Gharbin, sister of the deceased, made the donation to the Department for honouring the memory of the late Elolo Gharbin by naming the Department's theatre seasons held every academic semester after him. 

"... The late Gharbin had a library of books on theatre and Film Studies which he left behind. The family has decided to donate this library of books to the Department," she added, to a rapturous applause from the audience at the launch of the 2023 Elolo Gharbin Theatre Season. 

Mr. Elolo Gharbin

The Head of the Department, Mr. Xornam Atta-Owusu, who received the books,   expressed gratitude to the Gharbin family and promised that the books would be protected for posterity. 

He described the late Elolo Gharbin as a great pillar in the Department and noted that the late scholar’s drive and love for knowledge was unparalleled. 

The Department of Theater and Film Studies of University of Cape Coast was established in 2004.

In its formative years, the Department had only one lecturer, Mr. Elolo John Gharbin. Mr. Gharbin taught almost all the courses offered by the Department until about the second or third year when other lecturers were employed to teach courses in theater.

In September 2020, he passed on and the Department named the theater season after him.

 

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

 

Graduates of the 5th session of the 54th congregation

UCC graduates 27,467 Undergraduate Students

07 Mar, 2023 By DIS

The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has graduated 27,467 undergraduate students who completed their programmes of study in the 2020/21 academic year.

The programme saw 12,325 students of the College of Distance Education (CoDE) graduate at the 5th session whilst 15,142 students from Institute of Education of the College of Education Studies graduated at the 6th Session of the 54th congregation.

Procession to the congregation grounds 

 

Addressing the graduands separately during the sessions, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Johnson Nyarko Boampong, congratulated them on their successful completion of their academic programmes of study.

 He said CoDE was working tirelessly to digitise its modules to enable easy access by students.

"This means that students can access the photocopies of their modules," he added.

He urged the graduands to bring to bear the knowledge and skills acquired in the University to better the society.

To students who pursued education programmes, he entreated them not in any way regret choosing the teaching profession.

He, therefore, challenged them to live up to expectations in the discharge of their responsibilities to reap the benefits of the noble profession.

"My dear graduands, you have chosen a noble profession and if you practice to expectation, you will never regret embracing the profession, "added the Vice-Chancellor.

He pointed out that the University was working to finish its Training and Resource Centre at Agona Nyarkrom in the Central Region and a study centre at Dominase in the Bekwai Municipality of the Ashanti region to create more room for distance education in the country.

He also entreated graduands to become good ambassadors of the University and called on them to join the alumni association so that they can contribute to the development of the institution.

Prof. Boampong used the occasion to trumpet to the graduands the enviable achievements of the University as the top ranked university in Ghana and West Africa and fourth in Africa.

At the ceremony, students who performed creditably in the various disciplines received special awards, including waiver of tuition fees, cash and plaques, for their hard work.

 

Security personnel saluting while the congregation sings the UCC Anthem

Scene form the 7th session of the 54th congregation

UCC is positioning itself as destination for quality graduate studies in Africa

07 Mar, 2023 By DIS

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong has indicated that  management of the University of Cape Coast is leaving no stone unturned to put  graduate studies on a pedestal befitting the University and in the sub-region and beyond.

Prof. Boampong noted that graduate studies and research was at the heart of the University and would ensure that quality post graduate education was deepened to contribute significantly to national and global development.

 

To that end, Prof. Boampong tasked the School of Graduate Studies to map out innovative strategies and policies to deepen its training to promote teaching, learning and research, as well as increment in postgraduate enrolment.

The Vice-Chancellor made these remarks at the 7th Session of the 54th Congregation for postgraduate students.


A total of two- thousand and nineteen (2, 019) postgraduate students were presented at the function.

A record number of one-hundred and ten (110) out of the total received PhD degrees.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong and Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rosemond Boohene

 

Grants

In terms of grants, the Vice-Chancellor mentioned that Samuel and Emelia Brew-Butler - Research Fund had been very beneficial to postgraduate students since its introduction in 2015.

He disclosed that the number of beneficiaries had increased significantly from twenty-seven (27) to fifty-seven (57).

Prof. Boampong, therefore, eulogised the Butler family for their assistance to the School of Graduate Studies.

 

Online submission of dissertation

The Vice-Chancellor indicated that the School of Graduate Studies had put in place measures to enable postgraduate students to submit their dissertation and thesis via online, to fast-track their graduation on time.

 

Developments at UCC

He said ten (10) new graduate programmes had been added to the existing ones which were relevant to the nation's manpower needs.

However, he was quick to add that management of the University had been in talks with investors to put up infrastructure in the University through Memorandum of Understanding but it was yet to receive positive feedback from the investors.

Prof. Boampong indicated that the University had embarked upon a campus wide ICT project to accelerate academic work.

 

Advice to graduating class

The Vice-Chancellor used the occasion to congratulate the graduands and encouraged them to embrace opportunities around them to broaden their horizon.

He admonished them to be good ambassadors of their alma mater and stay connected to the University through the Alumni Association.

 

Guard your reputation

A Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. John Ntim Fordjour, in an address, advised the University to jealously guard its reputation as the topmost ranked university in Ghana and West Africa.

He said the University had shaped the education of Ghana through knowledge research and Innovation.

Hon Ntim Fordjour stated that government was impressed with the positive strides made by UCC and the successes achieved since its inception.

The minister added that the government was committed to inclusive education and would not relent in its transformation efforts in revamping education across the length and breadth of the country.

He lauded the University for setting up a School of Engineering to enhance the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the country.

Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. John Ntim Fordjour seated next to the Chancellor

 

Awards

As part of the ceremony, Martha Pearl Okai (PhD Special Education) and Rev Philip Kakramah (PhD Religion and Human Values) received the Dean's Award of Excellence, for their exceptional quality, technical content and accuracy of presentation.

Martha Pearl Okai (PhD Special Education) was the valedictorian for the 7th session of the 54th Congregation.

 

Graduants at the congregation

Participants of the workshop

DRIC Organises Two-Day Training Workshop for FoHSSE Members

07 Mar, 2023 By DIS

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Education (FoHSSE) in collaboration with the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) has organized a two-day training workshop for its faculty members.

The training was on “Data Modelling using Partial least Squares Structural Equation Modelling”.

 Dr. Brandford Bervell, Deputy Director, DRIC who was the key resource person, with his wealth of knowledge and experience on the subject, was able to bring clarity and understanding to all challenging questions posed by participants.

The training programme aimed at enhancing the research capacity as well as improving the ability of lecturers and graduate students of the Faculty to enable them adapt to the 21st century research skills needed to promote publishing articles in high impact journals.

Deputy Director of DRIC-UCC, Dr. Brandford Bervell speaking at the workshop

The training offered an opportunity for participants to gain in-depth knowledge and understanding in topics such as Gap Analysis Strategies for Novel Research and Publication; Conceptual Model Development: Strategies and a Practical Approach; What, Why and How? Answers to the Scopus Level Publication and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling: A Practical Approach Using Smart-PLS version 4.

The workshop was an initiative of Rev. Prof. Kankam Boadu, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Education, with the sole objective to lift academic research to a higher level at the Faculty.

Welcoming the resource person and participants, the Dean indicated the importance of such workshop trainings at a period where the University is poised to increase its Scopus publication output as well as quality of research. This was reiterated by the Vice-Dean of the Faculty, Alhaji Prof. Mumuni Baba Yidana.

The two-day training workshop was deemed highly productive by both lecturers and some graduate students present.

 Both the Dean and Vice-Dean of FoHSSE were very much appreciative of DRIC for the training workshop, and emphasized that the programme had set the remarkable pace for additional training workshops to be organized at the Faculty.

Source: DRIC-UCC/Documentation and Information Section-UCC

group photo

UCC, University of Colorado Denver Meet Over Enhancing Collaborations

02 Mar, 2023 By DIS

The Pro Vice-Chancellor of University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof. Rosemond Boohene, has received in courtesy visit to UCC, a delegation from the University of Colorado Denver in the United States of America (USA).

The delegation’s visit was to enhance an already existing collaboration between the two institutions through exploring areas of mutual interest including research and student academic opportunities. The engagement also sought to connect UCC with an existing partner of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC Anschutz) Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

While learning more about the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and sharing information about the University of Colorado Denver (UC Denver), the delegation also desired a connection with contacts and researchers related to UCC’s Yamoransa Model.

The Yamoransa Model is a crucial social innovation geared towards empowering communities to drive their development agenda. Under this model, UCC adopted Yamoransa, a town within the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region, as a social laboratory with a special focus on support for building an ICT Centre and library.  

Receiving the delegation, Prof. Mrs. Rosemond Boohene, acknowledged with excitement the cordial relationship that has existed between the two institutions and the many exchanges they have had over the years.

She mentioned that UCC was highly committed to its entrepreneurial agenda, a vision which is in close relation with UC Denver’s internship drive.

Prof. Boohene also tasked the delegation to look at areas for further academic collaboration. She made special mention of the area of Business since UC Denver is ranked as the best in that field.

With the Pro Vice-Chancellor at the meeting were the Dean of the Office of International Relations, Prof. Kwaku Boakye; Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof. Eugene Marfo Darteh; Deputy Director of the Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC), Dr. Brandford Bervell and Prof. Kofi Awusabo Asare, a Professor of Population Studies with the Department of Population and Health of University of Cape Coast.

Speaking on behalf of her colleagues, Associate Vice-Chancellor of International Affairs, UC Denver, Alana C. Jones was grateful for the warm reception her delegation had received. She said they looked forward to deepening ties between UCC and their university for mutual benefits.

Other members of the UC Denver delegation present at the meeting were Anthony Graves, Managing Director of Partnerships and Innovation; Matt McCarville, Assistant Vice-Chancellor of IT Services and Operations.  The delegation also came to UCC with partners and hosts including Jonathan Wiesner, Dr. Mary Pearl and Dr. Deborah Rose.

Prof. Boohene presented members of the UC Denver delegation with some UCC souvenirs and congratulated them on their university’s fiftieth anniversary.

Delegations from both sides engaged further in a closed deliberation.

Press Release

Police Exams: UCC Denies Leakage of Questions

01 Mar, 2023 By DIS

The University of Cape Coast, UCC, has denied allegations of leakage of questions for the Ghana Police Promotional Examination.

On 22nd February, 2023, it was reported on Adom TV’s ‘Badwam’ show that the Police Promotional Examination organised by the Department of Forensic Science of the University leaked before the exam was written.

 In a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs of the University, Maj. Kofi Baah-Bentum (Rtd), and copied to the media; the University rebutted the spurious allegations and set the records indicating that no part of the Ghana Police Promotional Examination questions written on 13th of February, 2023, was leaked to any candidate.

The statement further said the examinations were written under strict supervision of the University’s experienced invigilators hence; the allegation that the exams were invigilated by some Senior Officers from the Police Service was false and should be treated with contempt.

The University has also refuted the claim by the host of the show that some candidates were calling for remarking of their scripts. The release noted that the allegation was not tenable because the results had not been released.

The press release further said the University was privy to the hand-written extract that was shown to viewers during the programme and per careful analysis of the material, there were some inconsistencies in comparison with the test item that was administered to the candidates during the exams.

“The Purported material being shown around as a leaked paper has no question attached to it. Again, it is strange to note that the material in question appeared two days after the examination. How could this constitute a leaked question” the release queried.

The University of Cape Coast also bemoaned the failure of the media house to contact the University for its side of the story before publication - an act deemed highly contrary to the ethics of journalism.

“The University of Cape Coast is an internationally acclaimed university with competent and credible professionals who have been in the business of conducting examinations since its establishment” the release highlighted.

Management of the University has, therefore, assured stakeholders and the general public that the University holds dear to its acclaimed brand as an excellent academic institution and would not indulge in untoward acts to tanish its hard-won reputation. Stakeholders and the general public have been advised to disregard the malicious publication.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC

 

Pages