Ghana’s higher education system faces pressure to redesign its approach to training as artificial intelligence, automation and changing industry demands challenge the traditional value of university degrees, Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, has said.
Speaking at the investiture of Professor Denis Worlanyo Aheto as Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Sam Jonah argued that universities must move beyond producing graduates who demonstrate knowledge of subjects and instead develop graduates capable of applying skills to solve real-world economic problems.
His call comes as Ghana continues to grapple with graduate unemployment, skills mismatches and concerns from employers that many graduates require additional training before entering productive employment.
“The degree is not dying. It is being redefined, and the first universities to redefine it will be the universities with the degree worth having.” Sam Jonah said, arguing that academic qualifications must become “a certificate of capability” rather than only evidence of accumulated knowledge.
Ghana’s labour market has exposed the gap between university education and workplace requirements. Data from the Ghana Statistical Service has shown persistent challenges among young people seeking employment, with many graduates entering informal work or struggling to find opportunities aligned with their qualifications.
Sam Jonah believes universities must respond by integrating practical training into academic programmes, particularly in sectors critical to Ghana’s economic transformation.
“Knowledge of a thing is not the ability to do the thing,” he said, warning that economies that produce graduates who can explain concepts but cannot apply them risk remaining dependent on imported expertise.
The proposed solution is a stronger connection between universities and industry, including the creation of degree programmes focused on applied skills. Sam Jonah called for UCC to establish what he described as a faculty of degree-awarding vocational education, offering bachelor’s and master’s programmes that combine academic research with practical competence.
Such a model could target areas including renewable energy, construction, agriculture, fisheries, healthcare, creative industries and artificial intelligence.
The proposal aligns with Ghana’s broader industrialisation ambitions, where policymakers have repeatedly identified human capital development as a major constraint to productivity growth. Under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Ghanaian businesses are expected to compete in a larger market, increasing demand for workers with technical, digital and entrepreneurial skills.
Sam Jonah pointed to Germany’s dual education system, where students combine classroom learning with workplace training, as a model Ghana could adapt.
“Germany never made the mistake of teaching its children that working with your hands is a mark of failure,” he said. “The hand and the head are equals.”
The push for practical education also reflects the growing impact of artificial intelligence on employment. While AI tools are highly capable of performing analytical and knowledge-based tasks, industries continue to require workers who can operate equipment, manage complex systems and make decisions in physical environments.
“AI will take every job that consists of knowing things, and it will multiply the value of every job that consists of doing things in the physical world and caring for people in the human world,” he said.
Ghana’s youthful population makes the issue more urgent. With more than half of Africa’s population under the age of 25, education systems across the continent face the challenge of preparing millions of young people for an economy being reshaped by technology.
For businesses, the shift could improve access to skilled labour, reduce training costs and strengthen local capacity in sectors such as manufacturing, energy and agriculture.
Professor Denis Aheto’s appointment comes at a time when universities are under pressure to demonstrate stronger links between research, industry and economic development. Sam Jonah urged the new Vice-Chancellor to ensure every academic programme can answer a simple question: what can the graduate do?
“Let no programme survive that cannot answer the question, what can that graduate do?” he said.
The challenge now is turning the vision into practical programmes that connect learning with industry needs and improve graduate outcomes. The debate around the future of Ghana’s universities is moving beyond the number of degrees awarded to the value those degrees create for businesses, the economy and society.
