UG, partners launch Phase 3 of Universities project
The University of Ghana (UG) has launched the third phase of an initiative aimed at building the capacity of students to enable them to develop successful businesses.
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Dubbed “Innovation for African Universities Connecting Accra project”, the initiative being spearheaded by the Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID) of the university, is ultimately aimed at strengthening the capacity of universities to participate and provide meaningful contributions as key players within the entrepreneurship ecosystem in their respective regions.
Therefore, it has the objective of building a national ecosystem capacity for innovation while providing venture support programmes in higher educational institutions and for participants.
The project, which is sponsored by the British Council, is in partnership with Impact Hub Accra, Imperial College London and the University of Cape Coast.
The project will be implemented by the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) which will house participants under its Innovation and Incubation Hub known as UGBS Nest.
The launch in Accra yesterday also served as the official closing ceremony of the initiative’s second phase which ended in July 2022.
Instrumental
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development at UG , Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante, intimated that the programme had been instrumental in transforming the African entrepreneurship sector by fostering innovation, research and development and entrepreneurship.
He, however, noted that as the programme entered its third phase, all participants and stakeholders were at a critical point in the programme's evolution, where they must build on the successes of the past and continue to drive innovation and growth in the county’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Acceptance
The Director of the UCC Design, Thinking and Innovation Hub, Dr Keren Naa Abeka Arthur, in an acceptance speech read of her behalf, noted that as the newest addition to the project, the university saw the partnership as an opportunity to co-create entrepreneurship support systems that took into account the unique characteristics of public universities and the Ghanaian society.
Commendation
The Project Manager for Higher Education of the British Council, Akorfa Dawson, commended the University of Ghana for instituting an innovation fund to sustain the beneficiaries and their ventures after the completion of the programme.
She also lauded the university for expanding and extending its reach to other universities, adding that the country had been selected to host the regional showcase of the project.
