The graduates were told to put their skills acquired to good use
Embracing entrepreneurship as a student or graduate has been acknowledged as a means to ensure personal growth and financial independence.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and founder of FKP & Rald Investment Limited urged the youth to consider taking up entrepreneurial activities during and after their academic journey.
Kwadwo Nsafoah Poku, speaking as the Special Guest of Honor during the 13th matriculation and 55th graduation (15th Congregation) of the Ghana Christian University College (GHANACU) at Amrahia in the Greater Accra Region, recounted the past where graduates from tertiary institutions felt compelled to form associations to highlight their employment challenges and seek the attention of the government.
The practice, he added, underscored the prevalence of graduate unemployment in society.
Mr. Nsafoah compared graduates of previous generations to those of the current generation, recounting how those of the former engaged in various entrepreneurial endeavors, including farming, masonry, tailoring, carpentry, baking, and other trades, to make ends meet, while graduates of this century often find themselves waiting for employment opportunities rather than creating them.
According to him, there is, therefore, a prevailing entrepreneurial spirit among our ancestors.
Stressing the need for students to adopt the entrepreneurial spirit amidst the unemployment canker, the astute entrepreneur called for specialized and complementary courses to be added to the main programs run by the institutions.
"There is a growing need for an entrepreneurial spirit, particularly in our higher and tertiary institutions like Ghana Christian University College and others. Programs in these schools should incorporate specialized and complementary courses in entrepreneurship," said Mr. Osei.
He emphasized that developing entrepreneurial skills should not be limited to the classroom but can also be learned through interaction, suggestion, or in a way that can be structured to lead to various opportunities.
He insisted that, if fully embraced, Ghana will no longer tolerate groups identifying themselves as associations of unemployed graduates.
Some two hundred and ninety-four (294) freshmen and women offering various programs at the School of Development and Health Sciences, School of Science and Technology, and School of Theology and Ministry were matriculated that day.
On the other hand, a total of one hundred and eighty-eight (188) students (72 males and 116 females) in the School of Development Management & Health Science, School of Science and Technology, and School of Theology and Ministry also graduated.
Held on the theme "Promoting Entrepreneurship Development: The Solution for Ghana’s Graduate Unemployment," the theme reflects the ongoing debate in the nation and elsewhere about the type of education needed for national development.
Giving an impressive state of the university college, Rev. Dr. James Yamoah, Vice President of GHANACU, disclosed that the institution has made significant progress in many areas, particularly in successfully going through its program's reaccreditation with the School of Development Management & Health Sciences, the BSc. Health Information Management; BSc. Public Health; BSc. Human Resource Management; BSc. Marketing; and BSc. Accounting and Finance.
Additionally, the School of Theology and Ministry has also gone through the reaccreditation exercise for its BA in Theology.
Prof. (Mrs.) Adelaide Naa Amerley Kastner, Council Chairperson of the Ghana Christian University College, formally welcomed the matriculating students into the university's academic program and urged them to be inspired by the feats achieved by the graduating students to achieve more for themselves.
The chairperson, in highlighting the freedoms and responsibilities offered by the university, said the University College prioritizes holistic education, training students not only academically but also in character as it prepares its students to be responsible and self-sufficient individuals.
She congratulated the graduating students, reminded them of their role as problem solvers, and charged them to make the best use of the capacities and competencies they had acquired to capitalize on the opportunities and challenges awaiting them in the job market, both domestically and internationally.
The chairperson, however, assured the student body of efforts being made by the University College to address the numerous challenges facing them.
Other updates she gave were the successful publication of the first edition of the college’s journal, known as "Journal of Applied Knowledge and Research," by the newly established department, the Department of Planning and Research, as well as the University College entering into a memorandum of understanding with the European African Management School in Lagos, Nigeria, for the recruitment of students for its School of Business and Professional Studies and others.
Professor Shamsu-Zeen Ziblim, who represented the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Development Studies, Professor Seidu Alhassan, referring to the students as "a new generation with fresh energy and innovative ideas," charged them to upgrade themselves to be able to take up new prospects.
"You need to make a difference and adapt to our continuously changing world by taking up new skills, new degrees, and making sacrifices to be ready for new opportunities," the professor urged them and further charged them to put the skills acquired to good use to overcome challenges they may encounter.
He described as unfortunate and unprecedented the mass exodus of health workers to advanced countries and called for concrete steps to address the situation.
The matriculating students signed the matriculation cards and made their matriculation declarations while the graduands took the alumni oath before the alumni oath was conferred on them.
Outstanding students were honored at the event.
