By Murtala Issah
The Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Professor Amin Alhassan, has called on the government to deliberately involve universities in Northern Ghana in research and policy implementation, warning that the long-standing reliance on southern-based institutions risks deepening regional inequalities in national development.
Speaking at the opening of the ’20th Harmattan School’ organised by the University for Development Studies (UDS), Prof. Alhassan emphasised the need for a more inclusive knowledge ecosystem as Ghana rolls out major policy initiatives such as the 24-hour economy, the Big Push infrastructure agenda and Mahama Cares.
He pointed out that UDS was founded with a mandate rooted in community engagement and problem-solving for underserved areas, making it uniquely positioned to support initiatives like the 24-hour economy, particularly in agriculture, agro-processing and rural enterprise development.
The two-day Harmattan School, themed “From Policy to Practice: Implementing the 24-Hour Economy, the Big Push and Mahama Cares,” brought together academics, policymakers, development practitioners and students to examine how national policies can be translated into practical outcomes.
Prof. Alhassan, who is chairing the two-day event, argued that Ghana’s development planning architecture has historically marginalised northern academic institutions, not due to a lack of expertise but because of entrenched institutional habits and centralised decision-making.
“I pray that the NDC government, in implementing these, will break the habit of relying on universities in the south when it comes to research support for these bold government interventions,” he stated.
The Harmattan School, which began in 2007, has become a flagship event at UDS, providing a platform for discussing key national issues.
