Five Ghanaian universities selected for Innovation for African Universities programme

Five Ghanaian universities have been selected to be part of the Innovation for African Universities (IAU) Programme.

The programme, designed by the British Council, is aimed at increasing the employability of graduates from African Universities.

The five universities, including the University of Ghana, University of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Accra Technical University and Regional Maritime University, would partake in the IAU programme,  an educational partnership between Ghana and the UK.

Speaking at the launch of the programme in Accra, Madam Harriet Thompson, British High Commissioner to Ghana, said the programme would help universities to develop new things and get the chance to learn more.

“Universities have always led new thinking about how to address old issues. It is brilliant that this project will provide them with more support to improve their vision, culture and partnerships so they can be centres of excellence for entrepreneurship and innovation. We need universities to have the resources and capacity to research, test, pilot and adapt,” she noted.

Madam Thompson further stated the UK’s vision was to support Ghana solve issues relating to unemployment among university graduates.

“Many students in tertiary education in Ghana are concerned about getting jobs. They have seen their peers graduate, then struggle to find work that fits their skills and qualifications.

 “As the Government of Ghana has recognised, the education sector needs to support young people at all levels to develop creativity, critical-thinking and problem-solving mindsets, so they can ‘think out of the box’, and see themselves as future employers, entrepreneurs and innovators. In a context with limited jobs but huge growth potential, they will be at the forefront of starting new businesses, finding new solutions, and creating jobs for themselves and others.” 

Mr Chikodi Onyemerela, Acting Country Director at the British Council- Ghana and Cameroon, said the programme is a way to help develop higher education in Ghana back to its feet after being hit by the deadly Coronavirus. 

“The IAU programme is our flagship programme within our broader Higher Education Portfolio. Its main thrust is to support the development of Africa and UK partnerships that build institutional capacity for Higher Education engagement in entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.

“The overarching objective of the programme is to strengthen the capacity of Universities and increase their capability to participate and provide meaningful contributions as key players within the entrepreneurship and innovations space,” he stated.