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Universities in Ghana have been urged to play a greater role in economic development of the country, by transferring the knowledge they generated through research into economic growth and employment generation.

Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, former Vice Chancellor, University of Education, Winneba, said this would happen when the curriculum is reviewed to close the gap between what is needed in the world of work and what the university teaches.

He observed that the old training model of universities that prepares people to automatically enter into the world of work, once they hold a paper certificate that does not specify their competencies and skills, is very rapidly being replaced by a model that emphasises disciplinary competencies, creativity, critical and innovative skills, communication and problem-based skills.

He said there was therefore, a mismatch between skill-sets required in the world of work and those experienced by graduates in their training and as a result, the country was confronted with increasing number of graduates who hold certificates but were unemployed.

Prof Anamuah-Mensah made these remarks on Saturday in Accra at the Ghana Technology University College’s (GTUC) 12th Congregation for the award of diplomats and degrees; during which a total of 1,132 students graduated.

The congregation was on the theme: ‘Techno-entrepreneurship: The Gateway to National Development’.

“Over the past few decades, Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have taken the top stage and are invading workplace activities, teaching and learning in schools and colleges, the way we communicate with one another, our informal and non-formal activities, and the games we play,” he said.

“It’s even becoming an accepted norm that technology application should underlie every activity of the government and the business world as well as in teaching and learning,” he added.

He noted that in this rapidly increasing technological age, universities are being called upon to play a role in research commercialisation and technology transfer, that is, to act as a source of technology and leading edge research for potential entrepreneurs; and who are these: - academics, research staff, and students.

Prof Anamuah-Mensah said in a competitive global market environment, universities have a new mandate to produce entrepreneurs; adding that “these entrepreneurs have the willingness to take risks and develop, organise and manage a business venture”.

He said through techno-entrepreneurship, many universities have improved the wealth of their localities and nations; they are able to produce existing goods more efficiently, produce new and better products, offer better services, save labor, make activities easier, and generate new activities.

They are able to apply technological innovation and sound scientific research to find answers to global challenges such as energy, water and food security, and climate change.

He said: “Universities are able to use the products of this research to produce wealth either through transferring the intellectual property that they create out of the university to industry or are able to use it for the creation of new companies (start-ups and prototypes)”.

Citing from Sampat (2003) Prof Anamuah-Mensah said university research that could lead to economic growth through the creation of economically useful scientific and technological information, which helps increase the efficiency of applied R&D in industry and the provision of skills or human capital to students and faculty members and helping to create networks of scientific and technological capabilities.

Others are the development of equipment and instrumentation used by firms in production or research and the creation of prototypes for new products and processes.

On the impact of universities, Prof Anamuah-Mensah said a study on the economic impact of licensed commercialised inventions originating from university research in United State, observed that over the period 1996 to 2007, university licensing agreements based on product sales contributed at least $ 47 billion and as much as $ 187 billion to the US gross domestic product.

He said a moderately conservative estimate based on 5 per cent royalty rates yields a total contribution to GDP for this period of more than $82 billion.

He said this clearly shows that universities could play a major role in bringing about economic development of their nations.

He pointed out that countries are prospering because of the university’s role on the impact of technology on businesses; declaring that one university that has transformed its locality and nation is Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“With increasing availability of ICT and gradual reduction in internet connectivity, higher education institutions in the country have a national responsibility to use their research expertise to drive entrepreneurial growth through creation of businesses and wealth for the country,” he said.

Dr Osei K. Darkwa, the President, GTUC observed that to compliments governments efforts, University College had established network campuses in five out of 10 regions of Ghana; adding that it had also established sub-regional learning centres in Togo and Gabon.

He said GTUC recognizes the intrinsic role that the nation’s professionals play in the development process and is therefore, committed to ensure that graduates really prepare for the job market either to work on their own or work for institution to contribute to the human resource base of the country.

Prof Walter S. Alhassan, the Council Chair, GTUC, assured that Council would continue to address staff welfare with a view to attracting and retaining qualified personnel so as to guarantee quality education.