TWELVE selected lecturers from the Ho Technical University and the National Health Research Authority in Lusaka, Zambia, have completed a four-day workshop on Innovative and Quality Research Methods and Skills for the 21st Century in Ho.
The training workshop which was hosted by the Ho Technical University was in conjunction with the Association of African Universities (AAU) which has its headquarters in Accra.
It sought to, among other things, promote the quality of higher education in Africa through improving research methods, knowledge and competencies to enhance the quality of researches and make them more useful in addressing the socio-economic and political challenges of the continent.
In a speech read on his behalf at the opening ceremony, Professor Etienne E. Ehile, Secretary-General of the AUU, pointed out that no nation could sustainably progress without its higher education research sector which provided the needed research, knowledge and skills to maintain socio-economic development.
“As the poorest continent, Africa needs to revive its higher education systems to produce home-grown solutions to overcome its development challenges,” he said.
Professor Ehile noted that some tertiary institutions in Africa produced graduates who were not fully trained for the world of work, and said that proper training with relevant research that focused on research to improve the socio-economic status of the continent was required to improve the quality of graduates.
The mission of the AAU, he said, was to raise quality education in Africa and strengthen its contribution to the continent’s development by fostering collaboration among its members, and providing support to member universities’ core functions of teaching, learning, research and community engagement.
The association also placed a high premium on facilitating critical reflection on, and consensus building around issues affecting higher education and development of Africa through networking events, he added.
Professor Ben. Q. Honyenuga, Vice Chancellor of the Ho Technical University said that the institution was aiming at greater international heights, and would continue to collaborate with other universities on the globe in pursuance of that objective.
FROM ALBERTO MARIO
