The Chief Exec­utive Officer of Telecel Ghana, Ms Patricia Obo-Nai, has advo­cated stronger collaboration between higher educational institutions and in­dustry to prioritise the integration of industrial skills into academic curricula, asserting its relevance to nation-building.

Speaking at the 14th matricu­lation and 16th Congregation of the Ghana Christian University College (GCUC), she said the fast-changing global job market demands professionals skilled in tech skills and data science, stressing that the quality of human resources produced by academic institutions would determine the competitiveness of the country’s workforce.

The event was on the theme: ‘Inculcating industrial skills in academia: Key to nation building.’

“From my years of experi­ence in industry, I dare to say that the quality of human resource is the most critical. The quality of graduates we produce from our tertiary institutions will determine the quality of our future work­force. Industries and universities will need to develop structured work readiness programmes to serve as the vital bridge between the world of education and the workforce,” she indicated.

Ms Obo-Nai pointed out that the rapid pace of change in consumer needs and business sustainability called for academia to stay ahead of industry trends to better prepare students for the workforce.

She shared a few key recom­mendations to help universities and students better align with industry needs, including revising curricula to add more industry input, partnering with indus­try for practical projects, and offering continuous opportuni­ties for learning and knowledge exchange.

The ceremony, attended by members of the university’s Governing Council, Board of Trustees, university’s presidency, faculty, mentoring universities and guests, saw the success­ful matriculation of 356 fresh students and graduation of 186 students from the Faculty of Health Sciences and Faculty of Business Studies and Technology of GCUC.

Newly inducted president of GCUC, Rev. Dr James Yamoah, called for private sector support to improve the university’s infra­structure and realise their vision of training and churning out employable graduates.

“While our University College sees critical thinking as a neces­sity tool and therefore looking for any help that shall facilitate it so that our products will be able to compete favourably with their counterparts anywhere, we are also very much concerned about how our products will contribute to the efforts by the govern­ment and industries in building a robust economy that ensures employability and productivity with less or no graduate unem­ployment challenges,” Rev. Dr Yamoah added.

GCUC’s Governing Coun­cil Chairman, Prof. Samuel K. Offei, also added his voice to the call for external assistance from government and the private sector to improve the quality of holistic education the institution is delivering.

All is set for the presentation of Ghana’s budget statement and economic policy by the Finance Minister,  Cassiel Ato Forson to Parliament today. 

This would be the new government’s maiden budget since ascending to the throne in January.

Ghanaians are highly optimistic that the budget would go a long way to cushion people.

They are expecting that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government will keep it promise and remove the E-levy, Betting Tax, and COVID-19 levy among other tax cuts.

Additional,  it is expected that some measures will be introduced to stabilise the local currency and some prudent ways to ensure food security to reduce food inflation.

Ahead of that the Finance Minister has organised national economic dialogue,  engageg over 60,000 youths on X,  and market women among others to seek their views.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme 

The new Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama, has revealed that the state under the previous Nana Akufo-Addo administration has paid $230 million to the contractor working on the new BoG building project, with an outstanding balance of $31.8 million still owed to the construction firm.

He disclosed that the total cost of the project has risen to $261.8 million, with the payments to the contractor being made as recently as February this year.

“As of February this year, a total of approximately $230 million has been paid towards the project, with an outstanding balance of $31.8 million still due to the contractor,” he stated in parliament on Wednesday, March 5.

Dr Asiama also noted that an additional $48.3 million has been paid in taxes and levies associated with the construction of the building.

In addition to the main building, Dr Asiama explained that several other facilities were part of the project, including an Integrated Communication and Computing (ICC) system and Network Infrastructure, which cost $8.6 million.

Other expenditures included integrated electronic security systems at $15.8 million and furniture and furnishings, which amounted to $11.1 million.

He emphasised that these investments are aimed at ensuring the Bank of Ghana operates in a secure and technologically advanced environment, in line with the needs of a modern central bank.

In November 2024, former President Nana Akufo-Addo officially inaugurated the facility to serve as the new headquarters of BoG.

The state-of-the-art facility designed to symbolise financial strength and modernity is situated in the heart of the national capital.

The new facility marked a historic milestone in the evolution of the country’s central bank, which has been a pillar of the nation’s economic independence since its establishment in 1957.

Source: Myjoyonline.com