A total of 32 students have graduated from the University of Professional Studies, Accra, with a master’s degree in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation at a special graduation ceremony held on Thursday, December 1, at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The graduation ceremony featured the first and second cohorts of the global MBA programme which is run by UPSA in partnership with the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano in Italy, the E4Impact Foundation, and the Italian Embassy in Accra.
The MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation programme aims to contribute to the advancement of entrepreneurial knowledge through the conception and growth of independent business ideas.
The 18-month course places emphasis on the identification of opportunities and ideas in the business environment and equips students with the capacity to manage and grow these ideas into viable businesses to create jobs for themselves and others.
Graduates were presented with their MBA certificates in the presence of some leading Ghanaian business owners.
Addressing the graduating students, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Prof John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, congratulated them on their successful completion of the programme.
He expressed confidence that the program had provided graduates with the necessary skills to start their own businesses, while offering current graduate-employees with the entrepreneurial drive required for business growth, which they could adapt and use to improve the functions of their respective organisations.
The Special Guest of Honour and Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Herbert Krapa, commended the graduands for choosing “the entrepreneurial way,” stressing that it is the right path to sustainable development.
He said the government, through the Ministry of Trade, has created the enabling environment for businesses to thrive, and young entrepreneurs must take advantage of these opportunities as the economy expands.
CEO of the E4Impact Foundation, Prof Mario Molteni, urged the graduates to join the MBA Alumni, a peer-entrepreneur association that provides a great opportunity for professional networking.
The event was also attended by the Italian Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Daniela d’Orlandi, Prof Mario Molteni, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano and CEO, E4Impact Foundation, and Fabio Petroni, Director of Programs at E4Impact Foundation.
Others include Mr. Alessandro Gerbino, the Italian Trade Commissioner to Ghana, Prof Abigail Opoku Mensah, Director of the UPSA Centre for International Education and Collaboration and Dr Andrews Ayiku, Coordinator for the MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation programme.
