Private universities key to national development
The President of All Nations University (ANU), Professor Samuel Herbert Donkor, has highlighted the critical role of private universities in complementing public institutions to drive national development. Speaking at ANU’s 34th graduation ceremony in Koforidua, he emphasised that private universities should not be viewed as profit-making ventures but as mission-oriented institutions dedicated to investing in Ghana’s educational and socio-economic future.
This year, 562 students graduated, including 216 males and 346 females, with 58 Master’s degree holders, 453 Bachelor’s degree recipients, and 51 diploma students across disciplines such as Biomedical Engineering, Nursing, Accounting, Banking and Finance, Marketing, Computer Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Oil and Gas Engineering, Biblical Studies, and Business Administration.
Professor Donkor highlighted ANU’s pioneering role in space technology, recalling that it became the first university in Sub-Saharan Africa to design, build, and launch a satellite, GhanaSat-1, deployed from the International Space Station in 2017. The university’s Space Systems Technology Laboratory is currently developing AfDevSat, the African Union’s first satellite designed entirely by African engineers and scientists.
In healthcare, ANU continues to strengthen Ghana’s system through its Biomedical and Allied Health programmes, including the country’s first Bachelor’s degree in Emergency Medicine Technology. Since 2006, ANU graduates have staffed hospitals nationwide, with one alumna establishing the Biomedical Department at Nigeria’s Presidential Hospital in Abuja.
On economic integration, Professor Donkor noted that ANU incorporated the GITFIC-AfCFTA curriculum into its Business Administration programme in 2024, preparing students to leverage Africa’s growing trade opportunities. Through partnerships with institutions such as Western University, Morgan State University, and NASA, ANU contributes to global knowledge while addressing local challenges.
He also explained that ANU’s holistic Total Personality Development approach equips students intellectually, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, shaping graduates into visionary, ethical, and globally competitive individuals. Addressing the graduates, Professor Donkor encouraged them to tackle global challenges like economic uncertainty, climate change, and technological disruptions with resilience and innovation, confident that their ANU training had prepared them to contribute meaningfully wherever they serve.
Other speakers, including Dr Sunil Thomas Chandy, Former Director of Christian Medical College in India, urged graduates to prioritise service to society, while valedictorian Esther Doe Atsu thanked faculty and families on behalf of the graduating class.
FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU
AGYEMAN, KOFORIDUA
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