By: Patrick Tokpah
The Dean School of Public Health of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo says Africa will not be able to sustain rapid growth without investing in practical education that produces skilled manpower with innovations and entrepreneurial spirits to spur economic growth of its people.
Speaking on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at the first convocation of the CEPRES’ International University in Gbarnga, Bong County, Dr. Owusu-Dabo told students and educators in Liberia that tertiary education is a great asset and of great importance.
He said the attention and innovation shall widen the frontiers of human knowledge and be the foundation of human progress which will enhance economic growth, adding that its teaching shall educate, retool and provide a highly remarkable skilled nation for a knowledge-dominated 21st century.
Moreover, the Dean Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology School of Public Health said tertiary education should impart and impact knowledge of students for the benefit of society, noting that the primary responsibility of the University in this regard is research and production of quality graduates to function in various areas of the economy and society.
“In our part of the world, stakeholders in education look up to the universities to develop schemes to solve contemporary societal challenges. In the light of recent trends in technology, neglecting a quality tertiary education could seriously jeopardize the longer-term growth prospects of countries in Sub-Sahara Africa,” he stressed.
Additionally, Dr. Owusu-Dabo revealed that the way to sustaining economic growth in the context of achieving the SDGs is to focus on skilled man-power, ready to create new ideas, products and services for national integration and finding solution to community problems.
“Quality education therefore cannot be compromised in this direction,” he added.
On that note, he congratulated all graduates for achieving hopefully a transformed and fully equipped education anchored on their respective certificates.
According to Dr. Owusu-Dabo, the World Bank support to tertiary education in Africa has been on the rise during the current decade, and is projected to rise even further as demand for support from countries increases.
He added that the WB support is mainly through the lending program to countries or group of countries through regional projects.
The Ghanaian educator further said the Worlds Bank’s financial support for tertiary education includes IDA-financed projects in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania.
There are additional ten projects that have components to support tertiary education. However, the Bank also provides considerable non-lending support through sponsoring and providing technical assistance for analytical work and policy dialogue, as well as support for convening different stakeholders (e.g. government(s), institution(s), employers, development partners, NGOs) to address common needs.
Meanwhile, 50 students obtained certificates in various disciplines, while 40 students graduated from the Undergraduate Program in Gbarnga, Lofa & Monrovia with degrees.
The first convocation celebrates the Class of ‘Sledomiah’ (meaning Nation Builder) 2020 undergraduate.
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