The Accra Institute of Technology (AIT), a leading technology-focus private university graduated its first batch of PhDs during the University’s 9th Graduation Congregation held in Accra over the weekend. In a statement released by the University, this achievement marks not only an AIT history, but also a history in the annals of private university education in this country.
In his speech to the congregation, which also saw the graduation of 240 Bachelor’s degree holders, Professor Clement Dzidonu, the President of the University observed that this major achievement of a university which is barely seven years old makes AIT the first private university in Ghana to successfully offer, run and graduate students on an internationally benchmarked Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree program.
According to him this is no small achievement if put within the context of the fact that the PhD per capita of Ghana is just 2.72 per million population. He noted that given the fact that over 250 PhD students are now enrolled at AIT, the university has become one of the leading postgraduate research institutions on the continent. ‘AIT will be graduating more PhDs in Business Administration, Engineering, and Information Technology before the close of the year.’ he assured the congregation.
The Deputy Minister for Education, responsible for Tertiary Education, Hon. Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, who was the Special Guest of Honour, congratulated the university for mounting mainly science, technology and engineering programs which in his view is in line with Government’s determination to implement and enforce the 60:40 policy guidelines aimed at giving priority to science, mathematics and engineering programs in our tertiary institutions.
He announced that in line with this, the Ministry of Education through the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) has drawn-up new guidelines that will ensure that the accreditation of new universities and academic programs meets these guidelines.
The Deputy Minister noted that in the future, for a new university to be approved for accreditation, it must more or less show that it is going to be another Accra Institute of Technology.
Mr.Osei-Boakye, the Executive Manager for Admissions and Operations at AIT, reassured the Deputy Minister that, for AIT, the future is technology and that even all the humanities programs offered by the University, mandatory have technology components.
He gave examples in the area of the Business Administration programs with combined options like: Marketing and Information Technology; Human Resource and Information Technology, Entrepreneurship and Information Technology among others. Mr. Osei-Boakye noted that of the graduating class on the Bachelor’s degree program, offered in affiliation with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST), the majority accounting for 75% are Engineers and Information Technologists.
Professor Francis K. Allotey, the Chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees in his address to the congregation, announced the election of two eminent internationally distinguished academics to the Board, namely: Professor Goolam Mohamedbhai who is the Former Vice Chancellor of University of Mauritius; former Secretary General of the Association of African Universities (AAU); former President of the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the former Chairman of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
The other is Professor Anuwar Ali, the former Vice Chancellor of the National University of Malaysia; former President and Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Malaysia and member of the Higher Education Council of Malaysia. ‘With this new members, the AIT Board of Trustees, now boast of five former Vice Chancellors of World-Class universities; there is no doubt that AIT has the most high-powered and academically distinguished University Board on the African continent.’, he observed.
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