VC Receives Secretary General of Association Of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, has received a two-member delegation from the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).
Led by the Secretary-General, Prof. Colin Riordan, the visit was to interact with the Vice-Chancellor on ways of enhancing partnerships with higher education institutions in Ghana, given UG’s clout in the higher education space.
Declaring the purpose of the vist, Mr. Emmanuel Adeniyi, Regional Engagement Lead-Africa, mentioned that the University of Ghana has been a strategic partner of ACU over the past 50 years, hence the need for both institutions to examine was of enhancing the existing partnership. He lauded the University of Ghana in particular for being a pacesetter in higher education and Ghana as a country that promotes international higher education.
Prof. Riordan, on his part, gave an overview of the ACU and the various projects and programmes being undertaken since he assumed Office this year. He described the ACU as the oldest university network, which has distinguished itself from other associations due to its high level of internationalisation and a large number of partner universities.
The ACU Secretary-General enumerated various higher education programmes and Scholarships that the organisation oversees, such as the Commonwealth Scholarship, Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarship and the Ocean Country Partnership Programmes Scholarship.
He mentioned that contribution to policy and advocacy are core aspects of the ACU’s work, highlighting their participation in ministerial meetings, educational minister’s meetings and the first Oceans Commonwealth meetings.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo welcomed the delegation to the University of Ghana. She acknowledged the longstanding ties between the two institutions and noted how deepening the partnership will greatly influence the higher education sector in Ghana and West Africa. She linked UG’S relationship with ACU with Priority 4 of UG’s new Strategic Plan (2024-2029), which is on enhancing engagement and partnerships.
Prof. Amfo reiterated earlier comments on UG’s leadership in the Higher Education space and mentioned that the University spearheading research partnerships with other Universities in Ghana.
She noted the innovations being undertaken by Professor Riordan and expressed UG’s readiness to partner on such initiatives.
The Registrar, Mrs. Emelia Agyei-Mensah, gave an overview of the university, indicating that the collegiate system of governance has helped decentralize operations. She provided information on the impending launch of a new Strategic Plan (2024-2029) to guide the University in the next five years.
Prof. Gordon Awandare, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Academic and Student Affairs, mentioned some of the Academic programmes being taught in the University, noting their interdisciplinary nature. On academic partnerships, he hinted that the University uses a bottom-up approach, allowing engagements to occur first at the departmental level before formalising the process through the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU).
Prof. Awandare informed the ACU team about some projects being undertaken to enhance the UG student experience, such as the classroom modernisation project. He explained that through this project, classrooms have been fitted with smart and interactive devices.
Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development, on his part stated that faculty undertake many research collaborations with international partners. He noted that UG’s new Research Strategy contains seven research priorities that will provide guidance on UG’s research focus in Infectious and Non-Communicable Diseases; Food Production and Processing including improved approaches to breeding; Trans-disciplinary Research into Climate Change Adaptation; Development Policy, Poverty Monitoring, and Evaluation; Politics, Socio-cultural change, Mobility and Development; Creative Arts, Education and Communication and Information Literacy; and the Fourth Industrial Revolution tools (Artificial Intelligence, data science, machine learning, digital transformation, etc).
Mrs. Arhizah Blay-Abiti, Senior Assistant Registrar at the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, was formally introduced as the ACU-UG liaison. Also in attendance were Ms. Pascaline Songsore, Senior Assistant Registrar at the Public Affairs Directorate, and Ms. Delali Acolatse, Assistant Registrar at the Public Affairs Directorate.