75th Annual New Year School and Conference ends

The School of Continuing and Distance Education (SCDE), College of Education, in collaboration with various partners and institutions has planned the 75th Annual New Year School & Conference (ANYSC) on the theme ‘Nurturing Resilience: Adopting Technology and Embracing Humanism for Sustainable Development in Ghana’. This 2024 edition of the ANYSC was a special one geared toward celebrating the University of Ghana’s 75 years of impactful service. After 75 years, the School of Continuing and Distance Education’s mission is just as critical to our country Ghana.

The 75^th Annual New Year School and Conference was opened by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and ran from January 8-11, 2024 at the University of Ghana Legon. Participant’s registration started on January 8, 2024 and the opening ceremony was held on January 9, 2024 at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana, Legon. This was followed by the main and youth school, conference and exhibition programme at the ISSER Conference Centre, University of Ghana

Global discussions on sustainable development and the country’s future were looked at. The school continues to create a platform for in-depth discourse on continuous education, innovation, creativity and appropriate discussions, where major and relevant stakeholders are brought together under one umbrella to look at critical issues concerning the country’s well-being and development.

This year’s conference brought together people from all walks of life – including academics, policymakers, business leaders, civil society organisations and other stakeholders – to discuss critical issues affecting Ghana and Africa as a whole. The theme for this year recognises the unprecedented challenges faced by institutions and the need to develop resilience, adapt to leverage technology and promote human values and dignity.

Her Ladyship Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu, a Justice of the Supreme Court, was Chairperson for the occasion. In her speech, she drew attendee’s attention to the critical role technology plays in a country’s development and requested that we embrace technology, as this will unlock opportunities for all – especially the youth, as future leaders of the country. She was appreciative of the identified partners stating that ANYSC is organised based on successful partnerships.

The university’s first female Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, in her welcome address acknowledged the vital role technology plays – alerting that this year’s theme s wholistic. “Let’s debate, network and enjoy the campus,” she added while welcoming the Estonian delegates and all other foreign guests.

Chairman-ANYSC Corporate Advisory Team, Hon. Sam Awuku Okudzeto; Private Sector Partner, President and Chairman-M&C Group (Global), Mr. Michael Leslie Barlett Vanderpuje; Executive Director-Institute of Democratic Governance and Civil Society Partner, Dr. Emmanuel O. Akwetey; as well as Prof. Katrin Niglas, Vice-Rector for Research, Tallinn University, Estonia who gave the keynote address, took turns to address the gathering. The Conference was formally opened by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

The Conference’s panel discussion took a look at the following themes: nurturing resilience and leveraging on technology to achieve sustainable growth; the new local government system, election 2024, security and peace-building; promoting Education for sustainable development; Attainment of a digital economy and global perspectives.

The Conference featured key engagements with panellists from across the board. ‘Time with Your Ministers’ featured Hon. Ursula Owusu Ekuful, Minister for Communications and Digitalisation and Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education. The segment on ‘Time with Your Flag-bearers’ featured an engagement with H. E. John Dramani Mahama, NDC presidential candidate and former president of Ghana.

Prof. Olivia A. T. F. Kwapong, Dean-SCDE and planning committee chairperson, and Dr. Jack Andrews Dotsey, Executive Director-ANYSC and the Ghana National Association of Teachers, took turns giving their closing remarks. The Conference’s deliberations were well-documented in a communique to be presented for policy interventions by the appropriate authorities, as has been usual for the years under review.

Dr. Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto, Director of the School and Conference, read the communique; after which the 75^th ANYSC was formally closed – with a call to nurture resilience, adopt technology and embrace humanism for sustainable development in Ghana. To ensure that Ghana can nurture resilience by adopting technology and embracing humanism for sustainable development, there is a need to cultivate synergies between academia and industry. Foreign content must give way to Ghanaian content; and above all, the politicisation of issues must give way to inclusivity.

This year’s Conference attracted international partners from Estonia, government, civil society and corporate Ghana, and the media helped bring the Conference to a successful end.

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