The Director General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, on Monday called on Technical Universities (Tus) in the country to support the nation to realise the 24-hour economy.
He said the implementation and success of the 24-hour economy hinged on robust industrialisation, saying that, “the nation can’t have an all-year and all-day round economy without the drivers of that agenda being vocational and technical education.”
Prof. Abdulai made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the side-lines of the opening session of the 49th delegates’ congress of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) underway in Sunyani.
The two-day congress, being attended by Vice Chancellors of the various Tus and some tutors, is on the theme: “Technical University governance: Strengthening partnerships for institutional growth”.
Prof. Abdulai said with the 24-hour economy, the Tus ought to position themselves well and rolled-out market and employment-oriented programmes which were competent-based, hands on, and technologically driven.
He indicated that with those programmes, GTEC would also fast-track accreditation processes so that the Tus could churn out quality human resource base that would push industrialisation drive to support the 24-hour economy.
Prof. Abdulai further commended TUTAG for their role in advancing the progress of technical education in the country, saying he was highly optimistic that with the support of Tus, the government’s 24-hour economy would be a realisation.
Earlier, Prof. Uriah S. Tetteh, the President of TUTAG, congratulated President John Dramani Mahama and the Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang for the victory in the election 2024 and a successful transition process.
“We stand with you as advocates for progress and equity,” he stated, and called on the government to take immediate steps to constitute the governing councils of tertiary institutions.
—GNA