UPSA launches home-grown ERP system for students and businesses

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Professor John K M Mawutor, has led the launch of UNIVAS360, a home-grown Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system designed to give students practical experience in accounting and business management.

The platform, which was launched at the UPSA Innovation Week Celebration 2026 on Thursday, August 27, 2026, is also expected to support micro, small and medium-sized businesses with an affordable system for managing their operations.

Speaking at the launch, Professor Mawutor said the development of UNIVAS360 was part of UPSA's efforts to move beyond relying only on foreign or externally developed technologies.

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He said the university wanted to help students not only learn how to use technology but also become part of efforts to develop digital solutions for professional practice.

“UNIVAS360 represents an important step to move beyond the use of externally developed technologies and ensure students become active creators of digital solutions for professional practice,” he said.

He also revealed that, the project was developed by experts from UPSA's Accounting and Information Technology departments, with support from a student of the University's MSc Information Systems programme.

Professor Mawutor explained that UNIVAS360 was designed to be simple enough for small businesses but strong enough to support the needs of larger organisations.

“At the heart of UNIVAS360 is a simple but ambitious proposition: enterprise software should be easy enough for a small organisation to use, yet sufficiently robust to support the complex processes of larger organisations,” he said.

He said the system would also change how accounting is taught at the university by giving students practical experience with the type of systems used in modern workplaces.

“Instead of simply teaching students what accounting entries should be passed, the system will help them understand where those entries come from and how business systems turn transactions into useful information,” Professor Mawutor explained.

He also said UNIVAS360 would help businesses manage their growth by allowing them to add more functions as their operations expanded.

“Businesses can start with basic functions and gradually add more advanced tools as they grow, without having to replace their entire system,” he said.

The web-based platform is expected to be introduced into UPSA's teaching and learning system, with plans to later develop Android and iOS applications and make the technology available to businesses outside the university.

Professor Mawutor said the project showed that universities could contribute directly to solving real business and technology challenges.

“Universities need not only prepare students to use the technologies transforming the workplace; they can also mobilise the expertise of their faculty, professionals and technologists to build those technologies themselves,” he said.

ANAS/VPO

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