UNIVERSITY LEADERS’ FORUM ON THE NEXT GENERATION OF ACADEMICS

1. UNIVERSITY LEADERS’ FORUM ON THE NEXT GENERATION OF ACADEMICS

2. UNIVERSITY LEADERS’ FORUM ON THE NEXT GENERATION OF ACADEMICS GENERAL THEME- DEVELOPING AND RETAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ACADEMICS

3. KEYNOTE ADDRESS • DEVELOPING THE 21ST CENTURY SCHOLAR: WHAT IT MEANS FOR AFRICABY IVAN ADDAE-MENSAH (FORMER VICE CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON)SUNDAY 23RD NOVEMBER 2008

4. “A University thoroughly conscious of, and adapted to its environment, but simultaneously maintaining an international standard”.

5. North Africa 33 • West Africa 64 • Central Africa 20 • East Africa 53 • Southern Africa 42

6. Quality and academic standards • Funding and related issues • Institutional governance • Access and quality • Human resource • Cooperation in graduate training and research • ICT and globalisation • Gender issues including access, quality and relevance

7. The poorest developing countries in the world lack many things; good sanitation systems, effective transportation systems and capital investment for agriculture and industry. However, the best use of investment funds may not be for bridges, sewer systems and roads but for human capital and education.(1998; O’Sullivan and Sheffrin- Economics, Principles and Tools)[8].

8. Building technological capacity in developing countries is central to forging long-term solutions because technologies for development have not, cannot and will not be supplied through the global marketplace alone.

9. Though the past 20 years have seen an important rise in research excellence in some developing countries, others still lack adequate research and development capacity.

10. Without it, they cannot adapt freely available global technologies to their needs-let alone set their own research agendas for new innovations. Inadequate national policies are partly responsible, BUT THE LOSS OF HIGHLY SKILLED MIGRANTS, the lack of supporting global institutions and unfair implementation of global trade rules create additional barriers. (United Nations Human development Report, 2001). [10].

11. “frank analysis concludes that a country whose universities are allowed to decline is opting out of the development process at the start of the 21st century.

12. It is now a truism that access to all (persons) to basic education is essential for a modern nation’s economic well being. But in the new “knowledge economy, driven by developments in information and communication technology such as the internet, there is a growing recognition of the vital role that higher education plays in socio-economic development.

13. To fulfil their role, universities need to be committed to flexibility, quality and enterprise. They must also have the support of governments and community stakeholders.

14. Higher education cannot be viewed as a luxury by developing countries- it is an economic necessity.

18. Universities of Ghana: Enrolment percentages at various levels

24. Age profile of Teaching and Administrative Staff in the Public Universities of Ghana- 2007

32. “The yardstick for assessing a journal should not be determined by foreign parameters. That a journal is published abroad does not make it superior to locally produced ones.

33. What assessors should be concerned with is the calibre of persons behind the journal and the academic rigour which the papers have gone through before publication.

34. Universities without research activities run the risk of becoming glorified secondary schools. They are unable to generate new knowledge for themselves, academia and the country. They are unable to produce the stream of academic staff candidates necessary to sustain the university enterprise.

35. And they are unable to teach students essential analytical and problem-solving skills. In the long run, governments neglect university research capacity at the cost of future development possibilities.

36. Capacity building in university research is therefore a fundamental element for the revitalisation of African universities

37. GOVERNMENT SUBVENTION YEARAMOUNT (GH¢) 2001 16,000.00 2002 16,000.00 2003 16,000.00 2004 15,700.00 2005 14,700.00 2006 14,800.00 2007 14,800.00 2008 Not yet released

38. ACADEMIC FACILITY USER FEE

39. Inventing a Better Future: A Strategy for Building World-Wide Capacities in Science and Technology. • “All nations, whether industrialised or developing, face a broad array of challenges that will require the application of up-to-date scientific knowledge and technology.

40. No nation can now afford to be without access to a credible, INDEPENDENT science and technology (S&T) research capacity that would help it to develop informed policies and take effective action in these and other areas”.

41. Realising the Promise and Potential of African Agriculture: Science and Technology Strategies for Improving Agricultural productivity and Food Security in Africa.

42. Without embedding science, technology and innovation in development, we fear that ambitions for Africa will fail.

43. Advances in Science and Technology allow society to mobilize new sources of energy and materials, fight disease, improve and diversify agriculture, mobilize and disseminate information, transport people and goods with greater speed and safety, limit family size as desired, and much more.

44. But these technologies are not free. They are the fruits of enormous social investments in education, scientific discovery, and targeted technological projects.

45. Every successful high income country makes special public investments to promote scientific and technological capacities. Unfortunately, poor countries have largely been spectators or at best, users of technological advance produced in the high-income world that are relevant.

46. Poor countries have tended to lack large scientific and technological communities. Their scientists and engineers, chronically under-funded, move abroad for satisfying employment in scientific research and development. Private companies, moreover, focus their innovation activities on rich-country problems and projects, since that is where adequate financial returns exist.

47. Any strategy to meet the (MD) goals requires a special global effort to build scientific and technological capacities in the poorest countries, both to help drive economic development and to help forge solutions to developing countries’ own scientific challenges. A FOCUS SHOULD BE ON STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

48. A special global effort is also required to direct research and development towards specific challenges facing the poor in diseases, climate, agriculture, energy and environmental degradation………..To address these most pressing scientific issues, direct public financing of research needs to increase”.

49. Progress in science is the bedrock of technological advance and innovation.. All over the world, universities are the nurseries where science is nurtured and practiced.

50. Many future technological advances will have to be directed towards finding innovative solutions for improving the quality of life, providing access to education and information, ensuring sustainable use of resources, stabilizing human population, preserving the environment, alleviating poverty and creating employment.