Professor Domwini D. Kuupole, Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, has said technical universities must be strategic in outlook, think differently and deliver innovation and high-level practical skills learning culture at all times.
He said the harmonious synergies between technical universities, industry and government, described as the Triple Helix Model, would position the institutions as indispensable partners in the country's industrialisation drive.
Prof Kuupole made these statements at the third Ho Technical University (HTU) Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series in Ho.
It was under the theme, "Implications of the Triple Helix Model for Technical Universities in Ghana: Fulfilling the University's Third Mission."
He said the interdependence and relationship between the trio had the propensity to drive the general agenda of building and delivering a developed economy and knowledge-based society.
The former VC therefore called on the leadership of technical universities to shun mediocrity "defined as the region in our lives bounded on the north by compromise, on the south by indecision, on the east by past thinking and on the west by lack of vision".
Prof Kuupole said technical universities were bedevilled with several challenges in the midst of globalisation, technological explosion and rapidly changing industrial demands, which included inadequate facilities, and equipment, or poor training and environment, mismatch between acquired skills and market needs, inadequate professionally qualified technical faculty, and negative public mindsets.
Prof Ben Q. Hoenyenuga, Vice-Chancellor, HTU, called for stronger collaboration between technical universities, industry and government in order to deliver the technical university agenda, a fulcrum for accelerated national development discourse.
He said the technical university agenda in full flight should run as an entrepreneurial institutions and provide the commercial services and patents for income generation and skills transfer.
Prof. Honyenuga envisioned that lessons from the lecture series would be taken seriously to engender the national discourse on technical and vocational skill training to sustain the growth agenda.
Dr C K. Amehoe, Registrar, HTU, was of the view that the lecture series had stimulated many academic discourses to steer development in the right direction and believed the students, lecturers and partners would make good use of the issues raised to better their lots.
Prof Hoenyenugah as part of the event presented a citation to Prof Kuupole for exemplifying academic prowess in the delivery of the lecture and for his professional progression.