The Pan-African Doctoral Academy, in collaboration with the Carnegie Scholars Network and the School of Graduate Studies, has successfully hosted a 2-day International Research and Mentorship Conference, marking the third event in this series.
The theme of the conference, "Making an Impact through Research and Mentorship: What Should We Do Differently after 75 years?", was aimed at exploring the future of research and mentorship.
Prof. Julius Fobil, the Provost for the College of Health Sciences, delivered the Chairperson's remarks on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, and expressed his honour at chairing the event. He recalled his longstanding involvement in capacity building in West Africa over the past two decades and highlighted the significance of research training and mentorship in academia.
The Provost encouraged both students and faculty to enter mentorship arrangements with a mindset for success. He, however, cautioned against complacency and misunderstanding the mentor-mentee relationship.
In his keynote address, Prof. Justice Bawole, Dean of the University of Ghana Business School, emphasised the quality of the University's postgraduate programmes. He encouraged students not to exclusively focus on overseas programmes.
Prof. Bawole stressed that, "in the past 75 years, UG has been extremely impactful, relative to the resources that we have available to us. Far more, UG has depended on grants from foreign institutions than we have gotten from national resources".
He also discussed the challenges and successes associated with the UGBS Doctoral students and shared four ideas for adapting to the changing times, including improved storytelling, leveraging technology and artificial intelligence, promoting international collaboration, and upholding high ethical and moral standards in research.
Prof. Justice Bawole, Dean of the University of Ghana Business School
The Industry Guest of Honour, Mr. Atta Dabone Snr., Principal Economics Officer at the Ministry of Finance - Treasury, expressed his excitement at being part of the Conference. He commended the University for its role in advancing research and mentorship and believed that the Conference would explore positive alternatives to academic and economic challenges.
Mr. Atta Dabone Snr., Principal Economics Officer at the Ministry of Finance - Treasury
The Dean of the School of Education and Leadership, Prof. Gordon S. K. Adika, on his part, shared his experiences as a mentor and mentee, as well as innovative research strategies for the University. He reiterated the need for the mentees to uphold academic excellence, embrace technological advances, and maintain intellectual rigor and social relevance in research.
Earlier, Prof. David Dodoo-Arhin, Director for the Institute of Applied Science and Technology, provided an overview of the Conference's structure, highlighting various thematic areas, session times and panel discussions between mentors and mentees.
During the Conference, Prof. Lydia Aziato, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, received an award in recognition of her significant contributions to student mentorship.
Prof. Lydia Aziato, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences receiving her award from Prof. Julius Fobil, the Provost for the College of Health Sciences
The event was attended by a distinguished audience, including Prof. Robert Darko Osei, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Prof. Jemima Anderson, Director of the Pan-African Doctoral Academy, Deans, Directors, Heads of Department, Faculty, Students, and the media.
The University of Ghana Carnegie Scholars Network, comprising young faculty beneficiaries of the Ph.D. programme and early career divisions under the Carnegie Next Generation of African Academics Network Programme, aims to provide peer support, interdisciplinary research, and mentorship opportunities to its members. The Conference featured 65 different presentations on various thematic areas, underscoring the University's commitment to research and mentorship.
