The Research and Consultancy Centre (RCC) of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), has begun strategic engagements with international partners to strengthen preparations for the 2027 International Conference on Business Management and Entrepreneurial Development (ICBMED). The engagement, held on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, brought together officials of UPSA and faculty members from Birmingham City University (BCU), United Kingdom, to discuss possible areas of academic and technical collaboration.
The meeting was hosted by the Director of the Research and Consultancy Centre, Prof. Alexander Diani Preko, and formed part of the BCU team’s visit to UPSA, during which they also facilitated an Entrepreneurial Finance training session for selected students earlier in the day.
The BCU delegation comprised Professor Javed Ghulam Hussain, Professor of Entrepreneurial Finance, and Dr Samuel Salia, Associate Professor of Finance. Also present at the meeting was Prof. John Kwaku Amoh, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Accounting.
Discussions centred on strategic support for the proposed 2027 ICBMED, which is expected to be held on the theme: “Accelerating Africa’s Sustainable Futures: Innovation, Inclusion, Resilience and Partnerships for the SDGs.”
The engagement explored possible collaboration in areas such as academic and technical support, scientific and publication review committee roles, international promotion and publicity, and the mobilisation of participants from Africa, Europe, North America and other regions.
The RCC also disclosed that it is engaging selected academic journals and publishers on possible publication outlets linked to the conference. These include prospective special issues, conference proceedings and edited book chapters with reputable international publishers such as Springer and Routledge.
The proposed partnerships are expected to enhance the global visibility, academic quality, publication prospects and international participation of the 2027 ICBMED. They also align with UPSA’s broader commitment to advancing research, strengthening international academic collaboration and contributing to sustainable development through scholarship with professionalism.
The engagement further reflects RCC’s continuing efforts to position ICBMED as a major international platform for researchers, practitioners, policymakers and industry stakeholders to exchange ideas, share evidence-based insights and contribute to solutions for Africa’s development priorities.
