Establishment of new public universities must address industry demands – Haruna to Committee

Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has tasked a newly inaugurated committee to ensure public universities meet industry demands and national workforce needs.

Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education, gave the directive on Wednesday when he inaugurated the Committee for the Establishment of New Public Universities at the Ministry of Education.

The Minister was ably supported by the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, at the inauguration held in the Minister’s Conference Room.

He stressed that while expanding access to higher education remains a priority of President John Dramani Mahama, the focus must go beyond numbers to relevance and impact.

“It is the desire of the president that every region in Ghana has a public university of its own in order to expand its access,” he stated.

The Minister underscored that the creation of new institutions must be guided by key principles tied to national development and labour market demands.

“The primary focus in the establishment of the universities should be guided by three important values,” he said.

He explained that one of the core considerations should be the role of higher education in advancing innovation and research.

“How does it contribute to deepening research and innovation apart from access?” he asked.

Haruna Iddrisu further highlighted the need for universities to respond directly to Ghana’s evolving workforce requirements.

“How does higher education respond to the contemporary needs of our country, in particular, its manpower needs and manpower requirements, and focus for the future human resource training and development of the country?” he added.

Chairperson of the committee, Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuama, acknowledged the scale of the responsibility and described the assignment as both demanding and necessary.

“The mandate entrusted to this committee which is to expand access to higher education through the establishment of new public universities, the completion of ongoing projects and the strategic expansion of existing tertiary institutions is both ambitious but timely,” she said.

She emphasised that the committee’s work will prioritise not just the establishment of institutions, but their long-term value.

“We are also mindful that the work of this committee will not be established by the number of institutions established but by the quality, relevance and sustainability,” she noted.

Dr. Amoako-Nuama added that the planned universities must align with key national priorities, including science, agriculture and entrepreneurship, to ensure they contribute meaningfully to the national development agenda.