Prof. Appiah Amfo made the call at the opening of the 77th Annual New Year School and Conference of the University of Ghana, held on the theme: “Building the Ghana We Want Together for Sustainable Development.”
“The ‘we’ in the theme is intentional. It reminds us that the future we desire cannot be crafted by one institution, one sector of government or one organisation alone,” she said.

The Vice-Chancellor noted that for nearly eight decades, the New Year School had served as a platform “where the gown meets the town,” bringing together academia, policymakers, the private sector, civil society and citizens to deliberate on issues critical to national development.
She expressed appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama for opening the conference, describing his presence as a strong signal of commitment to intellectual discourse and evidence-based governance.
“Your presence here today signals a profound commitment to intellectual discourse, which is an essential tool for governance and nation-building,” she said.

Prof. Appiah Amfo outlined several initiatives by the University to address national development gaps, including curriculum reforms, strategic international research collaborations, and investments in student support infrastructure such as laptop provision, classroom reorganisation projects and expanded campus hotspot zones.
She announced the recent commissioning of an innovation hub at Baker Space, developed in collaboration with Imperial College London and the Kosmos Innovation Centre, to support students, researchers and entrepreneurs in transforming ideas into practical solutions.

The Vice-Chancellor also disclosed that the University was pursuing funding for a proposed Student Experience Centre as a legacy project.
She reported progress on the Digital Youth Village, a national facility designed to build digital entrepreneurship skills among young people beyond the University of Ghana.

“The Digital Youth Village will be the hub for government’s flagship One Million Coders Programme,” she said, adding that although construction was over 60 per cent complete, the release of outstanding funds remained a challenge.
She expressed optimism that the issue would be resolved with the support of government officials present at the opening ceremony.

Prof. Appiah Amfo said the 77th New Year School and Conference would deepen collaboration among government, academia, the private sector and citizens.
It would also feature panel discussions as well as a project forum showcasing youth-led innovations from Ghana and abroad.
The annual New Year School, established in 1948, is one of the University of Ghana’s flagship outreach programmes and serves as a national platform for policy dialogue and development-oriented discourse.