|
Africans Must succeed In Our Own Culture- Prof. Stephen Adei
By: Isaac Amo-Kyereme
|
|
THE 8TH International Academy of African Business and Development (IAABD) has recently taken place at the London Metropolitan University.
IAABD, the premier black academic conference in the world. Had over 160 delegates from Africa-- Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Comeroon, South Africa, Uganda, DRC , Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast amongst others attending.
Delegates from Hong Kong represented the Asian continent. European delegates came from France, UK, Denmark, Sweden, Norway. The USA/Canada also represented the North American continent.
The conference under the theme "Building Strategic Partnership for Africa's Economic Development" discussed at length the different paradigms and solutions Africa needed to embark on in order to break out of it's poverty circle for development.
Delivering the key note address at the plenary session, Professor Stephen Adei, the Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) called on the academy to develop business modules that are relevant to Africa's development. He bemoaned the fact that the subjects often taught in most of Africa's business schools hardly lay emphasis on topics such as entrepreneurship and job creation.
 |
"We are mostly teaching our graduates how to manage businesses instead of training them to create businesses" He said.
How will a graduate who has been filled to the brim with information on global markets, capital markets, fit into the African situation that has no large corporations, and a few stock exchange markets. "Are we really producing graduates for the African socio economic environment? He asked. |
Professor
Adei, asked the academy to look at the African cultural environment in other to research include subjects such as time management into the curriculum. Knowledge acquired under our tutelage should be practical and useful to our African situation.
He concluded by saying " we as African academics, entrepreneurs, scientists etc, must succeed in our own culture.
Earlier on the vice chancellor of the London Metropolitan university, Brian Rhoper in his opening remarks congratulated the organisers of the conference for the enormous work they had put into the preparation for a smooth conference.
He said the world had woken up to Africa's potential and he hoped with the UK about to have a new Prime Minister who has always shared a passion on focussing on Africa, Britain will contribute its fair share to help solve some of Africa's problems.
Looking at his university he proudly mentioned that the student population of African and Ethnic minority students in London Metropolitan University was more that the 20 supposedly elite "Russell group universities in the UK.
Africa is on the right path and he charged participants not to be discouraged as "the point is not to understand the world, the point is to change it" in our own small ways.
The conference was under the chaimanship of Dr. Nana Owusu- Frimpong, the vice president of IAABD and a senior lecturer at the London Metropolitan University.
|
