Focus more on referencing local businesses - Graphic MD to UPSA faculty
The Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Ltd. (GCGL), Ato Afful, has urged the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) faculty to collaborate with their students to produce key studies that focus on locally referenced businesses rather than concentrating so much on referencing foreign businesses.
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That, when achieved, Mr Afful believes, will boost the training and development of the students and instil entrepreneurial spirit and business ideas in them as they get ready for the job market.
Mr Afful gave the advice when the UPSA and the GCGL recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost the interests of the two institutions.
“The other thing that we have always noted is that faculty and students should collaborate to put some key studies out. It will be helpful for case studies that you use to teach in school, Business School and others, to be locally referenced. We've found the white man - the MacDonalds and the whatever - but what about the KFCs, what about how equivalent the Papaye and others are?
“We have our local FMCG, Champions, Nesta and brands like them. What are we looking at them for and things like that? Oil marketing companies that when we were growing up they used to call Mobil and Shell are now local companies. I think you've done so much already, and going on from here with this partnership that we are sealing today can make it actually come to life,” he said.
Tertiary Business Sense Challenge
Mr Afful further urged the UPSA management to arm the students for victory in the next edition of the Tertiary Business Sense Challenge, an initiative of Graphic Business which provides a platform for tertiary business schools in the country to showcase the quality of the education given to students.
“The Graphic Business in the past five years has actually pioneered the new initiative - The Graphic Tertiary Business Sense Challenge - which the UPSA has been competing in but was yet to win. So this year, the VC and management of UPSA, on the back of this agreement which serves as part of the learning material for the Tertiary Business Sense Challenge, I will challenge UPSA to come to the fore and claim your rightful place. I am confident that you will get there,” he said.
“I think this is actually opportune that we have this session this morning to sign an agreement that has worked with Ghana's foremost entrepreneur-led university. We believe that as a brand and as an institution, which develops professionals, we are the best partners to make this work and you don't have to look further than a knowledge-based concept that is curated by professionals and speaking to a body that is cultivating professionals like yourself,” Mr Afful added.
For his part, the Vice-Chancellor of the UPSA, Professor Abednego F. Okoe Amartey, said his outfit deemed it necessary to promote the culture of reading among the students as part of the training and development processes to make them ready for the job market.
“We want to inculcate reading habits in our students. These days, they say the young ones don’t read, but we know there are good materials in the Graphic, especially Graphic Business," he said.
“You don't have to watch your back if you are reading something in Graphic. Everything in Graphic is awesome because of the kind of leadership that they offer. We tried this sometime and it worked but COVID-19 disrupted it and we think this is the best time to formalise it, have that relationship, and take it to the next level.
“We believe this marriage will work long after we have left office and a new management will ensure that this agreement works and together we will build mother Ghana,” Prof. Amartey added.
MoU
The partnership agreement, which covers a period of five years, is expected to promote business orientation and entrepreneurial spirit among students of the UPSA.
The collaboration includes the supply of a minimum of 3,000 copies of each edition of the Graphic Business newspaper to UPSA students for 12 weeks in a semester, and an annual subscription to publications on the Graphic NewsPlus application by a minimum of 40 UPSA team members, including the Vice-Chancellor, the Director of Public Affairs, and Deans of the various faculties.
The UPSA in turn will promote brands of the nation’s premier news house, particularly the Graphic NewsPlus application, during the agreed period.
In attendance were The Editor, Graphic, Theophilus Yartey; the Director, Marketing and Sales, Franklin Sowa; the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, Prof. John Kwaku M. Mawutor, and the Registrar, Dr Koryoe Anim-Wright.
