The University of Cape Coast and the University at Buffalo (UB) has graduated the first cohort of the Leadership Empowerment Programme.

The first cohort of 23 graduates were presented certificates at the graduation ceremony.

In an address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, said the programme formed part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UCC and UB signed in 2017.  He said the focus of the MoU was to promote collaborative research, leadership and empowerment certificate programme for interested postgraduate students in the School of Business as well as those pursuing Educational Administration. In addition to this, the MoU seeks to run the Educational Leadership Programme between UB’s Graduate School of Education and UCC’s Institute for Educational Planning and Administration and partnership in the area of the library.

Prof. Ampiah was excited that 14 months after the signing of the MoU, representatives of UB and UCC have demonstrated commitment and enthusiasm leading to the graduation of the first cohort. According to the Vice-Chancellor, a lot had been achieved since the signing of the MoU and indicated that some faculty from UB came to hold workshops for staff in some faculties and schools in UCC. “These examples are indications of the prospects of the UB-UCC partnership and I wish to use this opportunity to call on all stakeholders to remain committed to the MoU,” he observed. Prof. Ampiah further commended the leadership of UB School of Management - Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness for their exemplary support and commitment to the UB-UCC Partnership.

The Vice-Chancellor congratulated the graduands on the successful completion of their programme. He encouraged them to develop an interest in adding value to their degrees through various “add-on” programmes in order to give them a competitive advantage over their colleagues and peers.

On his part, the Dean, School of Management, UB, Prof. Paul Tesluk, said great things happen when two wonderful institutions with similar values and complementary strengths work together. “We live in an increasingly interconnected world and so we are able to have a partnership like this to bring our strengths together we to do to support leaders who are doing great things themselves and this is evidence of that,” he stressed.

Prof. Tesluk said since their arrival in Ghana, they have observed the bold efforts underway across the country to find innovative ways to address some profound issues in the areas of sanitation, access to health care, sports, quality education, shelter and housing. “Boldness and ambition are clearly two important and related parts of the Ghanaian culture and I urge you to put what you have learnt from this programme and take that bold action that is part of your heritage,” he added.

Prof. Tesluk stated that “there is a saying that indecision is the graveyard of good intention” and urged the graduates not to allow indecision to distract them from the wonderful work they would be doing as leaders. He advised them to be bold explaining that “people who choose to be bold and inspiring do not only get things accomplished but they do so by instigations, probe, progress and movement for themselves and those around them”.

The Vice Dean of the School of Business, Dr. Siaw Frimpong, said the programme was remarkable in the annals of the two universities as part of internationalization and collaboration between the two institutions.  He explained that “UCC Leadership Empowerment Academy is a one-year certificate competency-based self-learning programme developed to enhance personal and professional leadership skills to equip students to fit in the ever dynamic competitive leadership positions in the business world. Dr. Frimpong noted that the programme has come at a time where leadership has become a key factor to the success of every sector of the economy. “It is imperative that every student seeking a postgraduate certificate should have a leadership empowerment skills to enhance their performance,” he pointed out.

Dr. Frimpong said the first cohort of 25 students comprising 20 from the School of Business and five from IEPA enrolled in June 2018. He said as part of the programme structure, seven students led by Dr. Mrs. Abigail Opoku Mensah visited UB for two-week experiential learning.

The Vice Dean of the School of Business said the programme fell within the objective of training business students adding that “we, at the School of Business and IEPA, have embraced it with all our support”. He expressed appreciation to Management of UCC and UB, Dr. Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah of UB for spearheading the programme and the two coordinators at UCC, Dr. Mrs. Abigail Opoku Mensah and Dr. Michael Boakye-Yiadom.