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The University of Ghana in collaboration with the Wageningen University, Netherlands, on Thursday held the PhD Defence and Conferment ceremony for the Convergent of Sciences- Strengthening Innovation Systems (COS-SIS), at the Great Hall, University of Ghana, Legon. The COS- SIS research programme is centered on creating appropriate institutional space for sustainable productivity and improved livelihoods for agriculture smallholders. The programme which focuses on three research domains; cocoa, oil palm and food security, also suggests an alternative approach to agricultural research by emphasizing the active role of multiple stakeholders in the research process at different institutional levels. Professor Ernest Aryeetey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, said trans-disciplinarity had become the institution�s focus in academic endeavours. He stated that students had passed through difficulties over the past five years, and this should prepare them to hold challenges. �I am happy to know that, you have made yourselves available in providing us with the foundation upon which we can build brilliant products with similar structures�, he added. Professor Aryeetey stated that students must be proud of the associations of both universities, and therefore urged them to be good ambassadors for the universities. He expressed his gratitude to parents, guardians, academic supervisors, administrators and other stakeholders especially the Netherlands government, for contributing towards the success of the ceremony. The three PhD students who carried out their research in the cocoa, oil palm and food security domains were Mr William Quarmie, Mr Kwadwo Amankwah and Mrs Charity Osei-Amponsah; and their respective thesis titles are ; �Incentives for Smallholders to Enhance the Production of Quality Cocoa Beans in Ghana- The Role of Institutions�, �Improving the Quality of Crude Oil Palm: Transdisciplinary Research on Artisanal Processing in Kwaebibirim District� respectively.