A Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has tasked the management of the Accra Technical University (ATU) to institute programmes that will equip students with relevant skills for the 24th industrial revolution.

He said there was the need for technical universities to take keen interest in producing highly trained students with the skills needed to solve the problems facing the world in order to be relevant and competitive in the ever-changing world.

The deputy minister was speaking at the ATU’s launch of a five-year strategic plan and the second summer school in Accra yesterday.

The launch was on the theme: “Strategically positioning ATU as a top technical university in Ghana with a strong regional influence”.

Strategic plan

The strategic plan — which details how the university will provide the needed support for staff, students and other stakeholders through the provision of the necessary infrastructure, facilities, services and opportunities — covers eight thematic areas, including enhancing students experience, impact-oriented research and innovation, industry and community engagement, internationalisation and the visibility of the university and availability of appropriate infrastructure systems.

The rest are quality and motivated human resource, financial resource mobilisation and management, staff welfare and support services.

The deputy minister commended the management of the ATU for formulating the strategic plan, saying it provided the university with a fresh platform to present its new vision and strategic direction towards positioning itself as a top technical university in Ghana with a strong regional influence.

“We believe and trust that as you launch this strategic plan, every member of staff will work diligently to fulfil these goals,” he said.
He assured the university of government’s support to ensure the realisation of the targeted goals.

Experience

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Samuel Nii Odai, explained that the plan was focused on how the ATU would grow its relevance through enriching the experience of all stakeholders.

He said following its recent elevation from a polytechnic to a technical university, the ATU had been on a journey of rebranding and strategically expanding its operations to continuously remain competitive.

Prof. Odai said in response to the current global demands, the five-year strategic plan had been developed to define the university’s ambitions and direction as a profitable institution within a challenging and mutable higher education space, adding: “We are poised to maintain our position as the premier technical university and make a meaningful impact on society, especially industry.

“The future promises great moments. With the collaboration of our dedicated staff, talented students, alumni, and other stakeholders, I am certain that we shall achieve the ambitions we have set for our collective future,” he said.

Innovation

The Vice-Chancellor further noted that the national and global challenges and future direction of social, economic and environmental developments demanded that higher educational institutions provided more innovative solutions.

Consequently, he called on the government to respond to issues such as climate change, COVID-19, future of work and artificial intelligence to provide opportunities for universities to modernise and be more flexible in their operations to remain relevant.