By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, Sept 05, GNA – Professor Mohammed Muniru Iddrisu, the new Vice-Chancellor for the University for Development Studies (UDS) has pledged to pursue transparent governance, financial sustainability and infrastructure development to strengthen the University for more academic improvement.
He said his administration would make transparency routine, ensure that decisions were evidence-based, clarify responsibilities and manage resources prudently to build trust among staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders.
Professor Iddrisu made the pledge in his inaugural address after being sworn into office as the sixth Vice-Chancellor of UDS at a ceremony, held at the University in Tamale.
The investiture ceremony was attended by relevant stakeholders including government officials, traditional authorities and religious leaders, staff, students and management of the University among others
He said he accepted the office with profound humility and a clear understanding of its demands, stressing that leadership was not a private possession but a public trust measured by lives improved, opportunities created and institutions strengthened.
Professor Iddrisu said the University would pursue financial growth through carefully managed income-generating activities while recognising that government funding remained vital to its operations and development.
He said UDS would broaden its resource base by mobilising alumni, development partners and other stakeholders for philanthropic support while developing strategic ventures that aligned with the University’s mandate.
He identified the construction and equipping of critical facilities as an immediate priority particularly in the Schools of Medicine and Engineering.
He said the provision of modern facilities and equipment was essential to improving teaching, practical training and research, and pledged to work with stakeholders to address infrastructure gaps across the University.
Professor Iddrisu also pledged to strengthen academic excellence, student welfare, staff development, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, saying every member of the University community must have confidence in its systems and processes.
He said UDS must remain faithful to its founding mandate of connecting academic knowledge with the development realities of communities particularly in addressing poverty, unemployment, climate change, food insecurity and public health challenges.
Dr Clement Abass Apaak, Deputy Minister for Education, urged the new Vice-Chancellor to provide leadership that was ethical, inclusive, responsive to change and accountable, while listening carefully to members of the University community.
Dr Apaak commended successive Vice-Chancellors and Governing Councils for laying the foundations upon which the University had grown.
He urged the new Vice-Chancellor to build on the achievements of his predecessors, while introducing new ideas adding that continuity was important but institutions also required renewal to remain relevant.
He called for greater attention to student welfare including accommodation, water supply, reliable learning facilities, counselling services and a supportive academic environment.
He also urged UDS to strengthen its Third Trimester Field Practical Programme and said students should enter communities not merely to fulfil academic requirements but as learners, partners and problem-solvers exposed to real development challenges.
Dr Apaak said research produced by UDS must move beyond journals and conferences into public policy, district development plans, classrooms, health facilities and communities where it could directly improve lives.
Mr Ali Adolf John, Northern Regional Minister, who was represented at the ceremony, described UDS as an indispensable development partner whose expertise was critical to the progress of northern Ghana.
Mr John urged the new Vice-Chancellor to strengthen partnerships with government, industry, development agencies and local communities while equipping graduates with knowledge, character, practical skills and entrepreneurial capacity to respond to the demands of a rapidly changing economy and appealed to stakeholders to support the new Vice-Chancellor to succeed in realising his vision for the University.
GNA
Edited by Eric K Amoh/ Audrey Dekalu
Writer’s Email: [email protected]
