The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Prof John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, has engaged the leadership of the University’s staff unions to outline Management’s strategic vision for 2026 and beyond.
Held on Monday, January 5, the meetings formed part of Management’s broader consultative approach to strengthen stakeholder collaboration, ensure inclusiveness, buy-in, and shared ownership of UPSA’s strategic direction as the University charts a path towards innovation-led growth and regional leadership.
It brought together leadership of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), the Federation of Universities Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG), and the Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU).
Following the engagements with the union leadership, the Vice-Chancellor is expected to extend the consultations to the general membership of the various unions in the coming days.
During the engagements, Prof Mawutor articulated Management’s long-term ambition to position UPSA as a leading African university for business innovation, digital transformation, and industry-driven applied research by the year 2031.
He noted that the vision is anchored on innovation, relevance, and strong industry alignment to ensure that UPSA remains competitive and impactful in a rapidly evolving global higher education landscape.
As part of the strategic initiatives, Management announced plans to launch an annual UPSA Innovation Week later this year.
The initiative will celebrate innovation champions across faculties and schools while providing a platform to showcase cutting-edge ideas, research outputs, and entrepreneurial solutions developed within the University community.
Prof Mawutor also disclosed plans to introduce two new compulsory courses in Ethics and Entrepreneurship, in furtherance of building the right academic culture for students.
“These courses are intended to imbibe ethical consciousness, innovation, and entrepreneurial thinking in students, while preparing them for leadership and responsible professional practice,” Prof Mawutor said.
The Vice-Chancellor further announced a gradual shift from traditional lecture-based delivery to project-based teaching and learning.
He explained that project-based teaching is an instructional approach that enables students to acquire knowledge, skills, and values by investigating and responding to real-world problems and challenges, culminating in concrete outputs or presentations.
This approach, he noted, aligns with UPSA’s industry-driven mandate and enhances graduates’ employability and problem-solving competencies.
The leadership of the Unions commended the Vice Chancellor for clearly articulating his vision and described it as “human-centered,” with an emphasis on human dignity, safety, and staff well-being.
