Fred N. Binka School of Public Health integrates entrepreneurship into courses - Move to address graduate unemployment

The Fred N. Binka School of Public Health (FNBSPH) of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Hohoe is streamlining entrepreneurship across its new programmes to generate sustainable and dignifying jobs for its graduates and the youth in general.

This is taking place under the recently-launched UHAS-NKABOM Mastercard Project, which is a grant from the MasterCard Foundation in the sum of $9.8million over the next decade, in partnership with seven Ghanaian institutions and McGill University in Canada, in support of FNBSPH’s efforts to address graduate unemployment.

The Dean of FNBSPH, Professor Frank E. Baiden, disclosed this at the opening of a two-day capacity-building workshop in nutrition reporting for 21 selected journalists from the Volta and Oti regions, in Hohoe recently.

The workshop, which was organised jointly by the FNBSPH, the Women Media and Change (WOMEC) and the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), tackled topics such as Entrepreneurship innovations, Climate-smart agriculture, Agriculture, nutrition and health linkages, Demystifying agri-business and Nutrition issues and interventions.

Professor Baiden said FNBSPH felt enormously challenged by the large number of graduates who remained unemployed years after graduating.

“Through support from the NKABOM Project, we will make variations in our portfolio of courses and how it is delivered, with emphasis on hands-on skills acquisition, because we see agribusiness in its full-scale value chain as a platform for generating sustainable jobs,” he added.

Climate-smart farmer

A public health expert and climate-smart farmer, Selom Odjoh-Anyomi, said entrepreneurship in public health was essential for transforming public health.

Mr Odjoh-Anyomi, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Eden Dew Farms in Lolobi-Kumase in the Oti Region, said integrating agriculture, business and innovation skills prepares public health professionals for impact-driven leadership.

“Universities and policymakers must collaborate to reshape curricula for future-ready public health professionals,” he maintained.

A nutritionist, Roseline Delali Ashigbui, said students’ entrepreneurship in public health could enable graduates to become job creators and not job seekers.

“Students could also make money with their entrepreneurial skills while learning,” she said.