The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra – The Islamic University College of Ghana (IUCG) intends to establish an Islamic Research Centre specifically dedicated to research in all aspects of Islamic culture, civilization and contemporary Muslim societies.

The academic project which is yet to be approved by the council of the institution was a component of a new strategic plan that seeks to promote an intellectual environment of research through the establishment of an Office of Director for Research.

Dr Gamel Nasser Adam, the IUCG Vice President in Charge of Academic Affairs, gave the information when he addressed the 16th Congregation and 21st Matriculation ceremony of the IUCG which was held under the theme, “Producing Thought Leaders for National Transformation: The Role of Universities “.

The new plan he noted would also commit the institution to addressing the shortfall of PhD holders among members of the faculty.

In all, about 211 students made up of 130 males and 81 females were honoured for pursuing various degree programmes within a four-year period.

The president of the Ghana Association of Bankers, Naa Alhassan Andani who was the Special Guest of Honour called on universities to revise their curriculum to reflect the current demand of employers who require human resources that are easy to retrain within the ever-changing global workspace.

He said that the Information Communication Technology (ICT) driven fourth industrial revolution has forced organisations to frequently change their model of operations which meant that individuals are no longer hired to play minute specialist roles in organisations.

The Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic Bank made an appeal to the government to provide educators with the space and right environment to take decisions.

He also encouraged graduates to develop an attitude of reorientation that makes it easy for employers to retrain them to suit requirements.

“The first certificate that I had including the Masters is a totally dead certificate now because if I had used it to apply for my current job I have, I will not get it,” he said.

The Ambassador of Iran to Ghana, Dr Nosratollah Maleki said that education as a principal element of human development has led to greater transformation of human lives thereby determining how prosperous nations could become.

He however called on developing nations to leverage existing information to focus more on developing human resources as the fast rate of knowledge sharing has widened the gap between rich and poor nations.

“The expansion of knowledge not only paves the way for the enlargement of human choices but also provides better living conditions through the provision of employment opportunities and improved health,” he said.

Fatihah Oluwabukola Ayinde who was the best student in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) Communication Studies programme was adjudged the overall best student.

Meanwhile, Collins Sebude was awarded the best Business Administration student with Mohammed Abubakar being named the best student for BA Religious Studies.