University for Development Studies
The University for Development Studies, UDS, as the first University in the Northern part of Ghana is now in its third decade (30 years) of training and grooming human capital for development. Over the years of its existence, the University has demonstrated its readiness to achieve its mandate through its development programs and training methodologies.
At the time of its establishment, there was much glaring evidence of the development gap between the Northern and Southern parts of the country. The University was principally tasked to find solutions to, and address the environmental problems and socio-economic deprivations that have characterized Northern Ghana especially, and some rural areas throughout the rest of the country.
Yet, the institution to some extent is not closely linked to the development programs and projects of the state, especially those affecting people in the North. This is clearly highlighted in the inability of the state to utilise the University to achieve its mandate of “blending the academic world with that of the community in order to provide constructive interaction between the two, for the total development of Northern Ghana in particular and the country as a whole.”
The vision of the University, its strategic location, and special programs such as the Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP), the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach, and the Community-Based Education and Service (COBES) adopted in the training of its students are exceptional features that enhance the development of quality academic inputs into the development processes of the country and Northern Ghana as well as disadvantaged and marginalized areas.
Regrettably, the intellectual inputs of the institution in the form of programs and research appear only theoretical to the state as usual. There is visible seclusion of the state from its higher institutions of learning (Universities), in utilizing these institutions for developing pragmatic policies and research that can stimulate economic growth and development.
Simply, the University and the researches it conducts, just like its pioneers, appear more theoretical to the state than they should. Development is practical; therefore, the research and intellectual inputs of the University for Development Studies must be realistic, useful, and capable of producing development opportunities.
There is therefore the need to develop a framework that integrates the research inputs of the institution into the mainstream development strategy of the state and development agencies in Northern Ghana.
What is then the point of disconnection? The agencies of the state formed to provide development opportunities to the people in the Northern part of Ghana are working in isolation from the highest research institution in that part of the country. The Northern Development Authority, for instance, must work hand-in-hand with the University to research specific issues causing the under-development of the North, and produce problem-solving solutions as inputs into the policies of the development authority in the North. The University must adequately be resourced to execute its vision by producing appropriate development research for the progress of the North.
It is not as if the University has not achieved much in academia or industry in Ghana. It has groomed a great number of people in politics, academia, and industry. The University had and continues to partner with Non-governmental Organisations, mostly in the North, to develop and execute poverty eradication programs and policies.
After thirty (30) years of continuous research and development, it is time for the University to assess its impact on the people in its jurisdiction and rural Ghana considering its mandate. A review of the activities and programs developed by the University to effectively accomplish its mandate will put the institution on a proper check to prevent any deviations of it from its mandate.
The state has a critical role to play to help the University accomplish its purpose of existence. As an institution established and tasked to find solutions that will address the development needs of the North, there should be operative collaborations between the University and any development agency specifically established to focus on the development issues in the Northern Part of Ghana.
If the development gap between the North and the South is widening uncontrollably, there are more demanding issues of development to be addressed by the University, even in its current divisions - all the campuses must engage in research and development that will help address the issues affecting development in the North. The state and the University have a challenging task of addressing the underlying factors that are responsible for the unresponsiveness of development in the North to national policies.