The National Investment Bank (NIB) has supported the University for Development Studies’ Vice Chancellor's Business Innovation Award Scheme with a donation of Five thousand Ghana Cedis (GH₵ 5,000.00).

In a short ceremony held at the Vice-Chancellor's office, the Zonal Manager, Mr. Samuel Kokem, who presented the cheque on behalf of NIB to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye, said it was a great opportunity to partner with the University in supporting students with brilliant business ideas with startup capitals to nurture their businesses in order to help reduce the graduate unemployment situation in the country. The Zonal Manager, indicated that NIB has supported some other Student’s Associations and Departments within the University this year. He added that supporting small businesses is a strategy for the bank to widen its customer base. He therefore thanked the Vice chancellor and the University for creating such an opportunity for the bank to help address a social problem in the community and the country at large.

Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye, Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), thanked the management of NIB for their unflinching support to the scheme as he accepted the donation. He urged them to do more to support the University's vision of contributing to job creation for the youth. According to him, academic institutions must abandon the age-old practice of training students for white-collar jobs in favor of training graduates who will be job creators rather than job seekers. He provided context for the establishment of the UDS Business Innovation and Incubation Centre (UDS-BIIC) as his dream to equip students and alumni with employable skills and entrepreneurial mindset, allowing them to start their own businesses and create jobs.

Briefing the University Relations team, Dr. Richard Yeboah, the Director of UDS Business Directorate, said that the Vice-Chancellor’s Business Innovation Award Scheme was part of efforts by the BIIC to identify and support potential entrepreneurs among students of UDS. He added that, the award emphasizes the need to give students an early start to participate in opportunities provided by domestic and global markets. “The specific aim of this award scheme is to nurture potential business leaders among students” he indicated. Dr. Yeboah encouraged all students of UDS to participate in the entrepreneurial challenge that was opened to all faculties, schools and disciplines in the university.

The Zonal Manager of NIB was accompanied by Mr. William Ohene-Adu and Mr. Abubakar Mubarak, Branch Managers for Tamale and UDS Branches respectively.

Also present at the ceremony were Mad. Rafia Hamid, Senior Administrative Assistant of UDS Business Directorate, Nicholas Nyarko Asante and staff of the University Relations office.

Story by: Isaac E. Dramani
(University Relations)