This year’s graduates of the Cape Coast Technical University (CCTU) have appealed to governmental and industrial partners to support them with workspaces and start-ups to help them transition into entrepreneurship.
They indicated that although many of them were ready to put their technical skills into practice, they lacked the workspaces and start-up support needed to begin their own businesses.
They made this appeal during the institution’s 22nd Congregation, which also climaxed the university’s 40th anniversary celebration in Cape Coast. The event saw 1,672 students graduating.
They included 19 postgraduate students, the first in the university’s history, 1,024 Bachelor of Technology students, 269 Higher National Diploma (HND) students, and 360 diploma students.
Families, staff, alumni, and industry stakeholders filled the university's compound to witness the milestone.
A Fashion design graduate, Belinda Amoasi, noted that access to affordable workspaces, especially government-owned facilities, would offer young entrepreneurs the opportunity to start their businesses without the heavy financial pressures that often discourage fresh graduates.
According to her, such support would enable technically trained graduates to establish themselves immediately after school and contribute to national development.
While expressing gratitude to the government for prioritising technical and vocational education, Selia Bello, a fashion design graduand, stressed that the impact of these skills could only be fully realised when young people were given the practical opportunities and infrastructure to put the skills to work.
Education minister
In an address read on his behalf by the Director-General of the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Zakariah Sulemana, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, noted that the government was happy to see technical universities in Ghana being strengthened, noting that the move was essential for job creation, economic prosperity, industrialisation and building a skilled national workforce.
He reaffirmed the government’s support for CCTU’s development, announcing that approval had been granted for the continuation of the university’s ultra-modern auditorium complex valued at GH¢55.6 million.
He also disclosed that the government had approved the conversion of the university’s commercial block into a student hostel at a cost of GH¢62 million.
Additionally, he stated that the government had budgeted for a new 1,000-capacity student hostel to be constructed in 2026.
He noted that these infrastructural improvements would enhance teaching and learning, giving students a comfortable and well-equipped environment that would help them compete globally.
Vice Chancellor
The Vice-Chancellor of CCTU, Prof. Kwaku Adutwum Ayim Boakye, described the ceremony as historic because it marked the first time the university had produced postgraduate students.
He added that CCTU had also introduced its first non-degree certificate programmes, including the soft skills and consumer electronics programmes.
He highlighted that for the first time, about 90 per cent of the university’s deans and directors were at the professorial level, reflecting CCTU’s academic growth.
The valedictorian, Deborah Asante Aboagye, shared her experience as a woman in engineering, describing it as challenging but fulfilling.
The Deputy Managing Director of the National Investment Bank (NIB) and special guest of honour, Thomas Hughes Amissah, congratulated the graduates, saying the training from CCTU had equipped them not only with knowledge but also the practical skills and moral foundations needed to make a real difference.
