Story By: Ishmael Barfi
Ghana’s universities must work hand-in-hand with industry players to equip young people and women with the skills needed to tap into the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, has emphasized.
Prof. Amfo made the call while contributing to the panel session themed “From Boardrooms to Borders: Women Driving the AfCFTA Agenda” at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) on Wednesday, 4th February, 2026 at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).
Prof. Amfo said institutions cannot achieve meaningful development outcomes in isolation. She noted that the University of Ghana has placed engagement and partnerships at the heart of its strategic priorities. “Our fourth strategic priority is engagement and partnerships because we recognize that whatever we want to achieve, we cannot do it on our own,” she stated.
Prof. Amfo explained that while universities are primarily responsible for training and research, their work becomes more impactful when carried out in partnership with industry and other institutions.
She cited the University of Ghana’s recently launched innovation enclave and maker space as an example of successful collaboration, made possible through partnerships with both local and international organisations.
“Within the country, we are collaborating with companies like Cosmos Innovation Centre, and we also worked with Imperial College,” she said, adding that collaboration must cut across industries and sectors to create real transformation.
The Vice-Chancellor also highlighted the University’s ongoing work to establish a Digital Youth Village, an initiative being developed with support from the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation. According to her, the project focuses on five key areas – fintech, health technology, edutech, e-commerce, and agritech – reflecting the growing importance of technology in shaping Africa’s economic future.
Prof. Amfo noted that digital visibility has become critical for businesses, particularly for women traders who already dominate informal cross-border commerce. “Women are already in that space because 70 per cent of informal cross-border traders are women, but the visibility is low,” she observed.
She emphasised the need for training institutions to ensure students are not only academically equipped but also digitally competent to thrive in today’s economy. “At the University of Ghana, it doesn’t matter what you come to study. When you are leaving, you must be sufficiently digitally literate – even digitally savvy – otherwise I don’t know how you will survive in today’s age,” she said.
Prof. Amfo further pointed to the importance of internships and industry engagement in making graduates work-ready, arguing that universities must work closely with employers and the private sector. “We cannot train work-ready students on our own. We need to do it with the industry we are training them for,” she added.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
