Focus research on addressing societal and economic challenges- President to Universities

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on Ghanaian educational institutions to focus their research on addressing social challenges and achieving economic prosperity.

They (tertiary institutions) must find new and effective ways to cooperate with industry and the corporate world to perform high-quality strategic research to address societal and economic challenges.

The President made the call at a thanksgiving service in Accra on Friday, as part of a year-long celebration of 75th anniversary of the University of Ghana (UG), Legon.

The anniversary is being held under the theme: “Nurturing Resilience: Adopting Technology, Embracing Humanism.”

President Akufo-Addo stated that the UG has consistently delivered on its objective of providing world-class human assets and capacities to meet Ghana’s development needs.

“The university continues to be the centre of many scientific and technological innovations. The diversity of this research efforts and output in various disciplines, including social sciences, law, natural sciences, medicine, agriculture, environment, and energy, has been internationally acclaimed,” he noted.

However, the President stressed that the institution (UG) must broaden its scope by undertaking and implementing research that provides information and capabilities on which society can rely on to help the country compete successfully in the global arena.

“I ask the university of Ghana and all tertiary institutions in the country to find innovative and effective ways of linking up with industry and the corporate world to engage in quality strategic research targeted at finding practical solutions to real life challenges of our society and thereby help actualize research findings to the benefit of our country and its citizenry” he said.

President Akufo-Addo told the UG leadership that the government would offer the funding needed to position the university as a research-intensive institution.

“My government fully supports and shares your vision of becoming a research-intensive university, and we will do everything we can to assist you in realizing it,” he said.