Adisadel College celebrates 105 years

Education Mar - 16 - 2015 , 04:54

The government has been urged to fix the unimpressive macro economic climate that is dampening the hope of reviving employment fortunes in the country.

The Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director of the Ghana Cement Company, Rev. Dr George Dawson-Ahmoah, said “job opportunities are declining because industries are collapsing,” and urged the government to fix it.

Rev. Dr Dawson-Ahmoah was speaking as the Guest Speaker at the 105th Speech and Prize-giving Day of the Adisadel College in Cape Coast at the weekend .

It was on the theme: Bridging the gap between Academia and Industry — A Collaborative Partnership.

He urged the government to work harder to fix the bottlenecks hampering industrial growth to help sustain old businesses and grow new ones.

“Where are the shoe, jute and rubber factories. Coca Cola and Tullow Oil are downsizing, Newmont has finished,” he observed.

Rev. Dr Dawson-Ahmoah, who is an old student of the college, cited the lack of access to credit, cost of credit, high taxes, instability of the currency and the erratic power supply as some of the serious bottlenecks collapsing industries.

He noted that the academia and industry collaboration was not yet successful in Ghana due to inadequate innovative human resource.

He called for specialised institutions to help train qualified human resource with practical skills needed on the job market for the private sector to live up to its role as the engine of growth.

He also called for the establishment of entrepreneurship centres to train people to start their own businesses, saying that out of the 255,000 youth who joined the labour force annually, 5,000, representing 6.5 per cent were employed by the formal sector.

He called for a review of curricula and counselling centres to support the youth to make the right career choices.

He urged students to be disciplined and studious and also focus on achieving greater heights.

Guest of Honour

A Ghanaian radiologist based in the USA, Dr Godfred Gaisie, who was the Guest of Honour, said Ghana’s youth must learn from the mistakes of past and current leaders in order to build a more prosperous nation.

To do this, he said the youth must be determined to build a less corrupt society in future.

“Be a generation that totally banished corruption from Ghana,” he said.

Dr Gaisie, Managing Director of the Department of Radiology, Akrons Children Hospital, USA, who is a member of the 1965 year group, said the youth must work to build themselves up to be able to squarely deal with the socio-economic challenges facing the country.

“It becomes your responsibility as future leaders to learn from our mistakes and set the country on the right path because you will inherit it after we leave,” he stated.

He said the youth must be more determined to solve the problems of flooding in the nation’s cities and provide a reliable water and electricity supply system to make the country a better one.

ICT System

Dr Gaisie indicated that the 1965 year group presented a new computer system for the schools 40-seat computer laboratory.

He explained that the system would allow students to use the laboratory for basic computer literacy and for advanced information technology skills for elective Information and Communications Technology (ICT) students, including visual basic programming and database management.

The Headmaster of Adisadel College, Mr William Kusi-Yeboah, said discipline in the school had improved significantly.

He called for support for the completion of stalled projects, including a centenary auditorium, the dormitory complex, staff bungalows and classrooms.

The 1990 year group sponsored the occasion, while the 2001 year group and the Lancaster University made presentations to the school.

Students and staff who excelled in their various fields of endeavour were rewarded.