University Of Ghana Business School Launches Innovation and Incubation Hub
The University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) in collaboration with Agricultural Manufacturing Group Limited (AMG) has officially launched the Innovation and Incubation hub, UGBS-Nest on Tuesday February 7, 2023, at the RS Amegashie Auditorium at the UGBS. The launch was attended by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development Professor Felix Ankomah Asante, the Provost of the College of Humanities, Professor Daniel Ofori, the Registrar, Mrs Emelia Agyei-Mensah, the Dean of the UGBS, Professor Justice Bawole, representatives from the AMG, donors, partners, staff, students, and other stakeholders.
The goal of UGBS Nest is to promote student innovations and technology-based entrepreneurship, thereby facilitating practical application of knowledge for public use. The main aim of the Innovation and Incubation Hub is to provide support and training for students and innovators interested in converting their social and innovative ideas into startups.
Delivering his opening remarks, the Dean of the UGBS Professor Justice Bawole, shared the challenges UGBS encountered in the early stages of the project and how their optimism and commitment has finally paid off. He said the purpose of the hub is to provide the opportunity and support for students to be innovative in the development of ideas to create jobs and translate theory to practice; in line with the vision of the UGBS to prepare students to make an impact and create value for the country. He stated that a Digital Innovation Hub will be set up and linked to the Innovation and Incubation Hub to serve a population of the students.
Professor Bawole acknowledged the role of his predecessor Prof Joshua Abor in birthing the hub, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development, Professor Felix Ankomah Asante for his unflinching support, Professor Daniel Ofori for his expeditious response to their request and the Agricultural Manufacturing Group Limited (AMG) for solely sponsoring infrastructure harbouring the hub.
He used the occasion to announce that the UGBS will embark on a boot camp later in the year targeted at about 2000 students to provide them with the skillset to build the mindset needed to change the world.
He therefore appealed to the sponsors/donors to come on board and support the students’ initiatives/projects at the hub.
Professor Justice Bawole, Dean UGBS
Professor Daniel Ofori, Provost of the College of Humanities urged the students to take advantage of the hub to dream, explore the possibilities, innovate, and make their dreams a reality. He encouraged them not to be deterred with the challenges they will encounter in the process but to learn from those challenges and make maximum use of the lessons to impact society.
Professor Daniel Ofori, Provost, College of Humanities
The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development, Professor Felix Ankomah Asante commended the UGBS for setting up the hub. He stated that as part of efforts by UG to push for more of such hubs, UG has published an Innovation Policy to serve as a guideline for such initiatives. He expressed his desire for the replication of such incubation hubs in all the schools in the colleges. He encouraged the schools to explore and harness the talents of students in humanities, engineering, and sciences at UG to collaboratively identify the challenges and proffer solutions aimed at addressing the developmental needs of the country.
Referring to the partnerships between UG, Imperial College, and other partners in the Innovation for African Universities (IAU) project, Professor Asante noted that an innovation pitch will be organised later in the year and thus encouraged students from UG to participate in the competition.
He stated the willingness of management of UG to partner with corporate bodies, donors, and sponsors to set up innovation hubs across the University.
Pro Vice-Chancellor, RID, Professor Felix Ankomah Asante
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of Mr Ernest Akwasi Appiah, CEO of the Agricultural Manufacturing Group (AMG), Madam Dorothy Opoku (General Manager, Commercial and Administration) expressed the excitement of the AMG to partner the UGBS in setting up the hub. She noted that the purpose of entrepreneurship is to explore potentials whiles offering opportunities to be creative and innovative in solving real life problems.
She acknowledged the role of the university in putting in place mechanisms to support students to be innovative in finding solutions to the myriad of challenges facing the youth and the country; thereby helping to build student enterprises in the university community and the country at large. She hoped that the hub would create a vibrant atmosphere where students entrepreneurs will be encouraged and given the platform to attract new resources for their entrepreneurial success.
She expressed the willingness of the AMG to partner the university to support initiatives aimed at building the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Present at the event were Mrs. Emelia Agyei Mensah, Registrar; Dr. Yvonne Lamptey, Acting Director, Human Resource and Organisational Development Directorate; Mr. Anum, Intellectual Property Office of Ghana; Dr. Bright Mawutor, Dean, Wisconsin International University College Business School ; Madam Akosua Manu, Deputy CEO, National Youth Authority and Mr. Emmanuel Opoku Sarkodie, Administrator, UGBS.
Dr George Acheampong, Coordinator of the UGBS-Nest, walked the audience through a short documentary on the journey of the UGBS-Nest and later took the dignitaries on a tour of the facility.
Dr George Acheampong, Coordinator of the UGBS-Nest
A section of audience at the luanch