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A management consultant, Albert Ocran, has urged the government to invest in education, research, and infrastructure and create an environment that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship.
He also urged the government to create an enabling environment for businesses and innovations like entrepreneurship to thrive in the country.
"Government can incentivise research and development, invest in crucial infrastructure, and create a regulatory framework that encourages entrepreneurship and business growth," he said.
Mr Ocran gave the advice at the 23rd Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Congregation, of which 910 students graduated from various graduate and undergraduate programmes of disciplines. It also included six PhD students.
The programmes were the Business of School, School of Public Services and Governance, Faculty of Law, and School of Social Sciences and Technology.
Speaking on the topic, leveraging innovative synergies between academia, government and industry for national growth, he said the path to national growth demanded the collective efforts of academia, government and industry.
To industry, he stated, it was the engine that drove economic growth and, when harnessed efficiently, could transform the academic discovery of products and services that improved lives.
Mr Ocran who is also the executive chairman of Combert Impressions, a printing company, said it was prudent to ensure that research remained relevant and called for synergy between academia, government, and industry to ensure sustained development.
He urged the graduates to take advantage of business opportunities in the agri-business value chains adding that there were many opportunities in agribusiness for the graduates to tap into and create sustainable livelihoods for themselves.
Mr Ocran urged the graduates to strive for excellence and work hard to achieve their future goals, adding that "there are greater opportunities ahead."
"I want you to remember that the path to national growth demands the collective efforts of three key pillars: academia, government, and industry," he said.
He said academia laid a solid foundation for learning and innovation and that research conducted within the institutions should lead to advancements in science, technology, and business.
The Rector of GIMPA, Prof Samuel Kwaku Bonsu congratulated the graduating students and said students were at the heart of GIMPA.
“We recognise the value of our students and ensure that we provide what is necessary to enhance their learning and future potential.”
In line with this, he said the institute continued to put in place measures to improve the quality of the students and the quality of the institute.
As part of this, he said in the beginning of 2023 the institute commenced the process of harmonising its programmes for efficiencies in cost and quality.
The review, he said had included the narrowing of its programmes to focus on those that it had the requisite resources to support.
Such review, he said, had led to a review of the hospitality programme at the school of technology and social sciences while another advisory team was helping with refocusing of the school of public service and governance.
He announced that GIMPA would from February 2024, introduce case oriented courses which would be a move away from its theoretical approach of teaching.
As part of the transformation, he said, the institute started training its faculties in March 2022.
“And that has given us two years to prepare for this and we hope this will offer greater and better opportunities for students to engage in the practicalities of what they are exposed to in class room,” he said.
He said work on a government supported 440 bed hostel at the Green Hill campus of the institute was scheduled to start in 2024 while conversations around other infrastructure projects were also ongoing.
