The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, who announced this, further appealed to the government to provide additional financial clearance in order for the university to obtain its complement of staff.

Prof. Owusu announced this in a speech read on his behalf by the Pro-Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Samuel Kwame Offei, at the congregation ceremony of the University of Ghana College of Education in Accra last Saturday.

“In July, I informed congregation that the continued lack of financial clearance for recruitment means that the university is severely constrained in the employment of faculty, administrators and other staff.

“This situation has now changed towards a positive direction,” Prof. Offei announced to applause by the gathering.

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Governing Council

Prof. Owusu expressed worry that the absence of a council for the university from January to July this year meant that many important decisions affecting the university could not be taken, however, “I am pleased to announce that the newly constituted council of the university has now been duly inaugurated and is working assiduously to move the university forward.”

Internally generated fund

“We have received notification that public universities are required to cede 34 per cent of their Internally Generated Funds (IGF) to the government.

“The University of Ghana, like other public universities, depends heavily on its IGF to operate, as government funding is woefully inadequate,” Prof. Owusu said, pointing out that for instance, allocation for goods and services for the tertiary education sub-sector ranged between one and three per cent of the sub-sector’s total budget, making it virtually impossible to carry out planned activities.

He said a large chunk of the IGF also went towards paying critical staff whom the university had taken on to ensure that academic work was not negatively affected.

“Having to relinquish 34 per cent of IGF will put the university in a very dire financial state. It is my humble appeal that the government will revisit this issue and allow public universities to retain 100 per cent of their IGF so that they can operate at optimal level and continue training the next generation of leaders for the nation,” Prof. Owusu said.

Challenge

The Executive Director of the Salt and Light Ministry, Rev. Joyce Aryee, challenged the graduates to look beyond depending on the government to providing jobs for themselves.

“Go out there, explore the possibilities, plan well and the sky will be your limit. Yes, you can make it.

“I challenge each of you to take the talents and experiences gained during your stay in this university and do something relevant and positive to help your community and our country at large,” she told the graduates when she addressed them as the guest speaker.

Notable people in society

Rev. Aryee told the graduates that some of the most notable people in society today did not have the opportunities they had.

“You may say that Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg made it because they were in the great land of opportunities, the United States of America, but what about our home-grown heroes such as Kwame Despite of the Despite Group, Michael Agyekum Addo of KAMA Industries Limited, Kwame Ofosu Bamfo of Sikkens, Madam Justina Baidoo of the Adom Mbroso Company Limited and countless others?” she questioned.

 She explained that those people who became titans in their respective fields were able to make it because they made the most of the opportunities available to them, “stepped out of their comfort zones, followed their passion and did not give up when they experienced failure and difficulties”.

Be worthy ambassadors

The Chief Executive of the J.A. Kufuor Foundation and Council Member of the university, Prof. Bafour Agyemang-Duah, who represented the Chancellor of the university, Mr Kofi Annan, congratulated the graduates and urged them to be worthy ambassadors of the university.