The University for Development Studies (UDS) has announced its decision to set up a consultancy center where all its research findings will be stocked. The center is expected to give a new focus to the UDS Institute for Continuing Education and Interdisciplinary Research (ICEIR). It will also help to provide developmental services required of the UDS.
The Vice Chancellor of UDS, Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye announced this at the 16th congregation where a total of 1,200 students comprising diploma, undergraduate and graduate students drawn from Tamale, Nyankpala and Navrongo campuses graduated.
The number brings to 3,048, the total number of students including 16 medical doctors who graduated from UDS for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Professor Teye reiterated the university’s unflinching commitment to producing knowledge and exchange through scholarship and research
The vice chancellor said, UDS is intensifying its efforts to provide opportunities in research areas. If the university should make any impact on society and stay relevant to the needs of the global community, then research and innovation must be its focus, professor Teye observed.
According to him, UDS Institute for Continuing Education and Interdisciplinary Research, which is the university’s hub for research, offers the platform for development discourse of the Northern Ghana specifically and Ghana generally.
The chancellor said several centers already established to develop research in the areas of climate change, desertification and energy. The university is currently running a project on Dagomba-Gonja that seeks to find out more on the traditions and cultures of these ethnic groups in the northern region with the main purpose of providing the needed development to the area, professor Teye said.
He announced that, the university annual Harmattan School will held in February, 2016 under the theme; “Long term National Development Planning; Consolidating Democracy in Ghana”. The Harmattan school is a platform used by UDS to contribute to research and Innovation.
Professor Teye urged the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) to make good use of the several research reports from the communities within its catchment area. Whilst urging SADA to use their research, the chancellor also urged the authority to sponsor research work.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed-Muniru Limuna who represented the president, John Dramani Mahama advised the graduates to let discipline be their guiding principle adding that, their behavior and conduct has a lot of meaning in their lives especially as they seek jobs.
Alhaji Limuna did not take kindly to the behavior of graduates during congregations who abandoned the congregation and were taking pictures while the various speakers were still addressing them.
” I attended one of the best universities in the world (London School of Economics) I was not a first class student but with humility, I am the regional minister; you can be a first class with several degrees but without discipline you won’t find it easy,” he warned the graduates.
The minister reiterated the government commitment to investing in education assuring that government will do all it can to support the university.