UGBS lecturer reiterates need for industries to work with academia

Senior Lecturer at the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the University of Ghana Business School, Dr. Mahmoud A. Mahmoud, has reiterated the need for industry and academia to work hand in hand to bridge the gap that exists between the two entities.

He warns that if this is not done, researches conducted by those in academia may not be of use to those in industry.

“If industry and academia does not come together, such that, industry does not let academia know what it wants then the disconnect wll continue and our research will not meet the needs of industry.

Dr. Mahmoud also called for a cataloged database of researches that have been conducted by the University of Ghana.

He believes that this will enable researchers to easily access any information they may need.

“ORID needs to have a database of all researches within the University of Ghana so that we would be able to tap into it when there are specific calls.

Dr. Mahmoud made these comments at a dissemination programme organized by the Office of Research Innovation and Development (ORID) of the University of Ghana.

The programme was aimed at consulting and obtaining the perspectives of key stakeholders in academia, industry, and policymakers on university and industry partnerships.

Also at the programme was Managing Director of Ainoo-Farms, Mr. Jacob Ainoo Ansah who mentioned that for there to be an effective collaboration between industry and academia, there must be trust and respect between both parties.

“Industry is interested in academic research but it depends on how it is packaged. There must be trust, there should be relevance, there should be a vision and cost-effectiveness and there should be respect on both sides”