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Professor Yaw Oheneba-Sakyi, Dean of the School of Continuing and Distance Education (SCDE), College of Education, University of Ghana (UG), has bid farewell to the 67th New Year School and Conference after eight years of service.

“This will mark the end of my presiding over the New Year School and Conference officially; because I will retire at the end of July 2016,” Prof Oheneba-Sakyi stated in his closing remarks in Accra at the end of the New Year School and Conference.

It was on the theme: “Promoting Universal Health for Sustainable Development in Ghana: Is the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) the Game Changer”.

The New Year School and Conference was organised by the SCDE, College of Education, UG, from Sunday, January 10 to Friday, January 15, in collaboration with Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Communications, and the metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies.

Airtel Ghana, who was the main sponsor of the event, donated GHȼ 200,000 in cash and GHȼ 50,000 in kind towards the event.

The School recorded a total number of 128 participants; made up of 76 registered participants, 35 UG staff and 17 resource persons; of 76 registered participants, men formed 75 per cent.

The School provided opportunities for participants to practice what they learnt in a hands-on environment - health screening, national health insurance scheme biometric registration, ICT labs, wireless hotspots, as opposed to just sitting in lecture rooms and listening intently.

Prof Oheneba-Sakyi said there is no doubt that for Ghana to accelerate its economic growth and raise the living standards of its citizens in an era of social and technological innovation to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, new concepts, strategies, and organisations are required.

He said the use of ICTs is essential to meet all kinds of socio-economic needs for Ghana to redefine its philosophy on the integration of all aspects of the economy to promote growth, social cohesion and the wellbeing and empowerment of its citizens, and also to position itself for the emerging middle-income knowledge economy.

Prof Oheneba-Sakyi described the theme as very appropriate and timely, considering the fact that the Ghanaian public had in recent times been inundated with news items that revolve the solvency of the National Health Insurance Scheme, working conditions of health professionals, managing health records, corruption, accountability, transparency, and prudent fiscal management of resources both at the national and local levels in the midst of declining budgetary allocations.

He said for our health sector to be relevant to the 21st Century knowledge-economy and smart society, it must be positioned to adapt quickly, leverage technology, engage citizens, and deliver services in new ways.

“Therefore, identifying emerging trends for e-health should be an important part of strategic planning and preparing for the future of health care delivery in Ghana.

“Over the years, discussions from the School and Conference have often transcended far beyond mere talk show, and recommendations have attracted some attention from government,” he stated.

He said the decision by the Electoral Commission to change the date for this year’s general election from December 7 to November 7, was based on the recommendation of the 61st New Year School and Conference.

He explained that the rationale was to ensure smooth transfer of power, December 7, as currently established under the 1992 Constitution, puts undue pressure on the incoming and outgoing governments.

He said a change in date would allow more time for political power transfer after elections.

“I want to emphasise that the SCDE will continue to develop collaborative strategies with other academic units, organisations and agencies to deliver programmes in occupational continuing education, information and computer literacy, human resources development, and entrepreneurship,” he stated.