Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister for Education, has challenged technical university graduates to leverage their skills, creativity, and competencies to solve basic and complex problems in the society to create jobs for themselves and for others.
Instead of being jobseekers, he said they must dare to be competent, adaptable and innovative as applied scientists, engineers, digital technologists, agricultural technologists, and other technical professionals because they held the key to Ghana’s development.
The Minister threw the challenge in a statement delivered on his behalf at the 22nd graduation ceremony of the Cape Coast Technical University (CCTU), a momentous event climaxing the school’s 40th anniversary celebrations.
The school graduated 1,672 students including the first batch of postgraduate students, marking a significant milestone in the university’s storied journey of producing skilled human resources for the country and the world.
The graduands comprised 1,024 Bachelor of Technology students, 269 Higher National Diploma (HND) students, 360 Diploma students and 19 postgraduate students who were grandly celebrated by their families, faculty, industry players and alumni.
Mr Iddrisu reiterated the government’s commitment to developing technical universities in the country, indicating that they were central to industrial development, skilled workforce, job creation and economic development.
For CCTU, he announced the approval for the resumption of the school’s GH₵55.6 million state-of-the-art auditorium complex as well as the conversion of the university’s commercial block into a students’ hostel.
The Government had also made budgetary allocation for the construction of a new 1,000-capacity students hostel scheduled to commence in 2026, he said, adding that the infrastructural development would create a more conducive learning environment and give the students a competitive edge on the global stage.
Professor Kwaku Adutwum Ayim Boakye, the Vice-Chancellor of the CCTU, expressed pride over the school’s milestone of producing its first batch of postgraduates.
Touting their achievements and progress over the years, he stated that about 90 per cent of the technical university’s deans and directors had reached the professorial level.
In furtherance of the progress, he announced the introduction of some non-degree certificate programmes, including computer electronics and some other soft skills.
Mr Thomas Hughes Amissah, Deputy Managing Director of the National Investment Bank (NIB) and special guest of honour, implored the graduands to be creative and innovative as they had been equipped with practical skills, knowledge and values to succeed.
Ms Deborah Asante Aboagye, the valedictorian, sharing her journey as an engineering student, highlighted the essence of perseverance, dedication and commitment and appreciated her colleagues, faculty and management of the school for their support.
Some of the graduates who spoke with the Ghana News Agency implored the government to support them with soft loans and strategic partners to succeed as entrepreneurs and business people.
