Universities urged to align research with industry demands – GCTU Vice Chancellor

By Deborah Asantewaah SARFO

Vice-Chancellor, Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, has urged universities to conduct research that responds to the needs of industry to drive growth and development in the country.

He argued that academic institutions typically produce research for knowledge acquisition alone, emphasising that in this modern era the trend must shift to focus on research addressing real-world issues for lasting impact.

“Some of the researches are just to acquire knowledge and just to be inquisitive. But in this modern world, I don’t think the research that we should conduct with investors should be based on this ecosystem. We must be able to conduct research that addresses problems of the day. Research that will solve the problems and lead to our growth and development as a nation,” he urged.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Technology, Business and Society Seminar Series’ (TEBUSS) third edition, Prof. Afoakwa pointed out that this research approach will help to address the country’s problems and advance the country from one state to another.

He emphasised that conducting research that is industry-driven and impactful can only be attained through collaborations between academia and stakeholders or players in industry.

In his keynote address under the theme ‘The Africa we want, the Africa we should claim’, the Executive Dean-Faculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Professor Fulufhelo Netswera, commended the contributions of key people on the African continent; notably Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Colonel Gaddafi who advocated for the unification of Africa.

To advance the African continent together with its people, he suggested the establishment of strong inter-Africa collaboration at higher education institutions and, more importantly, the existence of free economic trade across the continent.

He added that passing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is an important milestone. However, “It must be followed by action because the piece of paper means very little if there is no action thereafter”.

Narrowing it down to solving the country’s unique challenges, Prof. Afoakwa underscored the need to integrate technology in all sectors of the economy for development.

He emphasised that key sectors of the country such as agriculture, health and education among others face numerous challenges and incorporating technology in these areas will help address these problems and eventually impact the country’s growth.

While acknowledging some level of growth in these sectors, he noted that some challenges still exist and solving them with innovative and technological solutions will transform the nation.

“There’s a lot of developmental progress that we have made as a nation, but we still have challenges within areas of education, in areas of economics or health, agriculture and everything.  The only way by which we can change this country is to ensure that we incorporate technology in everything we do, “he said.

He explained that this can be achieved by equipping human resources, especially students, with the appropriate skills to leverage technology – underscoring the significance of such programmes and collaborations with industry players to identify trending challenges and prepare students for them.

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