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Ghana Post Digital Address: GA-018-1233

GAAS LEADS THE CHARGE: Transforming Higher Education for Africa’s Future

The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) has successfully concluded its two-year Higher Education Project with an international conference held on November 28-29, 2024, at its Kwame Nkrumah Auditorium in Accra. The project, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York with supplementary support from the Bank of Ghana brought together key stakeholders to address the challenges facing higher education in Africa. The theme for the conference was, “Transforming Universities for 21st Century Africa”.

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The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) has successfully concluded its two-year Higher Education Project with an international conference held on November 28-29, 2024, at its Kwame Nkrumah Auditorium in Accra. The project, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York with supplementary support from the Bank of Ghana brought together key stakeholders to address the challenges facing higher education in Africa. The theme for the conference was, “Transforming Universities for 21st Century Africa”.

Launched in December 2022, the initiative sought to address important concerns in African higher education by offering a forum for the exchange of evidence, the creation of policies, and the formation of consensus. These included the ageing faculty, inadequate governance, lack of sufficient money for research, and the sharp rise in student enrolment without a commensurate increase in infrastructure Across the African continent.

In his keynote address, Prof. Toyin Falola, a renowned scholar from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, stressed the need to reconsider partnerships in African institutions. He called for the integration of regional resources, a stronger focus on indigenous languages, and the use of technological innovations to overcome the continent’s educational and infrastructure deficits. In addition, he emphasized the pressing need for African institutions to prepare students for jobs in critical fields like engineering, technology, and agriculture in order to serve the continent’s expanding young population, which is expected to reach over 830 million by 2030.

Reflecting on the project’s accomplishments, Emerita Prof. Takyiwaah Manuh, (FGA) Chair of the GAAS Higher Education Project Management Committee, mentioned that through the initiative, seven background papers had been commissioned and multiple policy dialogues organized to address issues like faculty development, sustainability, and equity in Africa’s higher education system.

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission’s (GTEC) Director-General, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, underlined the difficulties brought up during the conference and mentioned the commission’s initiatives to solve problems including staffing, research, and governance in Ghana’s tertiary education system. “Enhancing accreditation procedures and establishing collaborations are two of GTEC’s activities meant to raise academic standards and research output. In order to guarantee that universities fulfil international standards, the commission has been striving for stricter approval procedures for new programs.” He stressed.

Universities are increasingly obligated to empower the next generation as Africa’s young population rises. GAAS has demonstrated the effectiveness of multidisciplinary discussion and policy advocacy in bringing about significant change through its Higher Education Project. The initiative’s insights provide a road map for turning academic institutions into hubs for sustainability, equality, and innovation.

The conference brought together government representatives, university administrators, consultants, financing and governance experts, student union representatives, researchers, and academics to discuss higher education reforms and policies in Africa and Fellows from the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Founded in 1959, GAAS remains a major force in Ghanaian policymaking and knowledge advancement. The Academy has shown its dedication to promoting multidisciplinary discussions and developing evidence-based recommendations that will direct the reform of African institutions through its Higher Education Project.