Professor William Otoo Ellis, Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has invited entrepreneurs to forge stronger partnership with the University’s Business School to help address the demands of industry.
He said it was important they engaged in regular brainstorming to identify the critical needs of businesses.
This would inform the development and introduction of appropriate course contents and innovative programmes to aid the growth and optimal performance of the productive sector of the economy.
Prof. Ellis was speaking after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the KNUST and PanAvest International, a business consultancy firm, to pave way for the start of academic work by the West African Institute for Supply Chain Leadership (WAISCL), an affiliate of the School.
The Institute would give practical training and build the capacity of corporate bodies, business executives and professionals in supply chain management.
By so doing they would apply the right strategies and adopt appropriate business approaches to widen their share of the market.
Prof Ellis appealed to businesses to assist in the mobilization of resources to support the School to become a centre of excellence.
The Vice-Chancellor lauded Dr Douglas Boateng, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PanAvest, for establishing the institute and suggested that they would also develop supply chain management courses to suit students in medical sciences, health care and social sciences.
Dr Boateng underlined the need for the effective application of the principles of supply chain management in all business endeavours to enhance improved service delivery and job creation.
He said PanAvest was very much concerned about the shortage of skills in respect of supply chain management leadership, which he said was responsible for the uncompetitive nature of Ghanaian businesses as many of them were still engaged in bad business practices.
The CEO said the concept, if adopted, would lead to sound financial planning, solid management practices and cost effectiveness in business transaction and service delivery.