Use local expertise not expatriates - Cotton Weblink Portfolio Founder urges local universities
THE Accra Technical University (ATU) has held its 22nd congregation with a call on all institutions to use the expertise of indigenes rather than expatriates in strategic sectors such as mining, telecommunication and automobile.
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The Founder of Cotton Weblink Portfolio Limited, Davies Narh Koboe, said the country's industrial revolution had been colonised for long with most of the country's industrial sectors headed by expatriates, while citizens who were equally good in those fields wallowed in despair.
That change, he said, would save the nation money, with great impact for economic development.
Mr Koboe, however, stated that the Ministry of Education's resolve to enhance technical, vocational education and training (TVET) from the basic level through the establishment of the Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics (STEM) Senior High Schools, was a good path to change the trajectory.
"The Ministry of Education's enhancement of TVET through the establishment of STEM SHS is a good start that will improve the needed manpower needs of the country to actualise the broader Ghana Beyond Aid agenda," he said.
Mr Koboe, who was once a National Best Farmer, further urged technical universities to intensify industrial apprenticeship and mentorship so as to improve the competencies of graduates.
Congregation
The 22nd congregation of ATU was on the theme: "Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), a panacea for economic resilience".
The ceremony brought together students, graduands, university staff, traditional leaders and some government officials.
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It was marked with colourful display of dance and culture by the Ghana Dance Ensemble.
Awards were given to best graduating students for their excellent academic performance.
Historic
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Samuel Nii Odai, described the year's congregation as a historic one as the school graduated its first batch of students admitted into a straight 4-year BTech programme.
"Today, we're graduating 4,282 students made up of 1,482 BTech graduands, 2,496 HND, 219 diploma and 85 certificate and diploma for the Ghana Armed Forces," he said
He expressed appreciation to the staff of the school for working selflessly to groom the graduands.
Real world
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, congratulated the graduands and commended the university management for providing students with the best education possible and ensuring that the programmes and courses prepared students for the real world.
He said it was essential to provide students with education that complied with international best practices and standards which were specifically designed to address the practical demands of the country's economy.