Key Note Address at 6th Congregation of University of Energy & Natural Resources by Kenneth Ashigbey

I deem it a great honour to be accorded this opportunity to be the Guest Speaker at the 6th Congregation of this young but vibrant University. I am grateful to the University Management for the honour done me to share my thoughts with the graduands on this august occasion, a ceremony that is attended and listened to by people of noble minds and great personalities from within and outside the University.

I would also like to express my gratitude to all faculty, administrators, parents, counsellors, families and friends whose guidance, encouragement, hard work and sacrifices have contributed in no small way to making this day a memorable one for our cherished graduands. Learning is not an easy task especially if you put in all the work that is required to be a transformative agent that today’s digitally transformed world requires.

Indeed, the Day of Graduation is a unique one in the life of every student; it is the joyous moment where one recognizes that all the hard work, toil, setbacks, anxieties and challenges endured over the period of rigorous academic pursuit have come to fruition. Our proud graduands, you have every right to celebrate this day; whether you are here in person or watching a live stream of this program, whether you intend to begin a job search, which is not my preferred option for you, but to start your own business or to go for further studies, the fact remains that today’s event marks a great milestone in your career life, and sets the tone for your professional take-off.

Today actually marks your day of transition from a student to a professional, and from a student to alumni. How successful you will become as a professional has much to do with how you conduct yourself in the competitive world market. My simple and honest advice to you is that as a Technologian (as graduands of this noble institution are fondly referred to), keep clearly in mind the motto of this institution: “Knowledge, Integrity, Impact”. Interesting your motto has the 3 cardinal elements for me as a person, especially the second and the third. What do I mean by this?

Chairman, permit me to throw more light on how sticking to the motto of this vibrant institution can aid the successful metamorphose from studentship to an accomplished professional and global business leader. The acquisition and utilization of the right kind of KNOWLEDGE are indispensable if you want to succeed in the global market today. Happily, the successful completion of your rigorous academic programme of study is indicative that you have acquired knowledge sufficient enough go give you a good start in your chosen career. However, to keep your head above the waters of job market competition, you will need to be abreast with current developments in your area of study and constantly update your knowledge.

It is important for you as a graduand to know that university education is a universal education that offers you the ability and skills to be analytical, critical in your thinking and also to be creative and innovative. It has given you the ability to be a problem solver. For us in Ghana, a middle-income country, we are saddled with several challenges but all of these are opportunities for creating jobs through the solutions that you have to craft. With all the knowledge that you have acquired, this is not the time to go seeking jobs and become one of those who would be complaining of the lack of job opportunities. I would urge all of you to apply the knowledge you have acquired to solve problems for people and package it in such a way that others would want to pay for those solutions. That is job creation.

As a forward-looking young professional, endeavour to belong to credible professional associations that would afford you the opportunity to participate in Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programs which would imbue you with knowledge of the new and efficient ways of doing things and challenge you to question the status quo. This will open to you diverse ways of solving critical industrial and community-related problems across the globe and you will be in a better position to choose solutions that would aptly address the concerns and challenges in your immediate environment without having to go by the old and inefficient ways of doing things. This will make you constantly relevant in your chosen career.

In this fourth industrial revolution realm, knowledge is changing and knowledge abounds and you should not stop learning. You should seek opportunities to apply the knowledge you acquired laced with some digital skills to build solutions that would solve local problems and have the opportunity of being scaled up globally.

Chairman, our Graduands, Ladies and Gentlemen, permit me to mention without delay that the world has witnessed several brainy people and geniuses who failed in their career progression because of a lack of moral ideals and compass. So I agree with Warren Buffet when he says “Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.

It is in this light that I wish to challenge you my dear graduands to properly activate the word INTEGRITY in the motto of this great institution. It is one of the major deficit in our country these days. It is sad what we are seeing even among student leadership, where corruption abounds. I am sure you would have seen a post that went viral on social media of a bus shelter constructed by the SRC leadership of another university at the cost of GHS63,175.62. What killed me was the GHS18,014.85 they charged for a simple wooden bench. If we start inflating project cost in school when we are superintending over just a few GHS100,000s. Are we surprised that corruption is the most expensive cost centre in Ghana? That has to stop and it starts with you and me deciding to hold integrity as dear.

Many employers today are disillusioned and disappointed with the level of dishonesty among their employees. I can tell you that it is the reason why a lot of organizations are bringing in foreigners to superintend over their businesses. That should change, and that change should start with you and I. Many people on the job market can simply not be trusted with any serious corporate responsibility because they are constantly on the lookout for cheap and dishonest gains. Thus, professionals who prove to be honest and integrity keepers are held in high esteem by their employers. Integrity has become a very important prerequisite in the job market. In today world of big data and powerful computing power, what you do today can be traced back to you. Let us hold integrity as key. Being a professional of high moral integrity will open up for you greater opportunities in your career path. Be truthful in all you do and say. This requires courage and straightforwardness. Never resolve to cut corners in an effort to get rich quick. HE Vice President Bawumia, captures the position succinctly in a tweet “Corruption is a destroyer of nation-building. It adversely affects all of us. It is not a partisan matter. The fight is on and we must succeed”.

My exhilarated graduands, in your bid to keep integrity and honesty in all you do, be mindful of bad influences. There are many out there who would be willing to offer you free tuition on how to be “smart” so as to outwit the corporate system. But the fact remains that there is no shortcut way to success. Lack of honesty is not sustainable, it is akin to the Joseph paradigm compared to the Nebukanezzer empire. The latter would collapse in due course. True success is attained, not by outsmarting unsuspecting victims of fraudulent schemes, but through honest efforts expended to solve critical challenges of humanity. Therefore, be watchful of your associates.

For that, I recommend to all of you, multiple streams of income. No employer would take all your 24 hours, use your time, your talents, your hobbies to raise different streams of income. Do not be afraid of getting your hands dirty. There is no shame in a graduate working with his hands. I can tell you for free, that all the assets I have made, did not come from income from being MD or CEO of someone else’s company. It was from my Electrical Contracting company. I have lost that source of income because I allowed the trapping of being MD of a major Media Brand Graphic to kill that business. Do not make the mistake I made. Create different sources of income for yourself.

Look up to and emulate the celebrated life of those who attained greater heights by dint of hard work and integrity. Do not be attracted by the lure of these sakawa and quick money syndrome. It does not last. Be guided by the acts of integrity inculcated in you during your years of pursuing a university education. These values were instilled in you when you were forbidden from engaging in examination malpractice, restrained from acts of sexual harassment, warned against using fake certificates to gain university admission, cautioned against the practice of plagiarism, and penalized for not meeting the minimum number of lectures attendance required for a course of study. Let these ideals of morality be deeply ingrained in your hearts and keep ringing perpetually in your ears. Don’t let go of them because you have graduated and finished your course at UERN.

Chairman, our Graduands, Ladies and Gentlemen, the third word in the motto of this agile institution is IMPACT. In fact, there is no need to try to even explain the meaning of this third slogan. For it should be clear to everyone that when one acquires the requisite and updated KNOWLEDGE in his field of study and works diligently with INTEGRITY as his guiding principle, he would finally make positive IMPACT in his society. To make such an impact might not come all that soon and easy; in some cases, it may take decades to make it. To make such a positive impact will call for persistence on your part. Such a sustained effort can be made if you truly love what you have chosen to do, or choose what you love to do.

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This may sometimes require key adjustments to your expectations and original plans. But it is worth the effort. The words of the globally celebrated icon, Steve Jobs – the founder of Apple – delivered over a decade ago, rings true in this regard: “I am convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is true for your work as it is true for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle”. One of the ways of finding God’s purpose for you, is to search deep in yourself and find out what makes you very sad or very angry that you want to do something about or what makes you extremely happy. In that, is what your purpose in this world is. If you model and frame that into carer you find it fulfilling and you would make a great impact.

My graduands, you most likely pursued programmes of your choice. Cultivate love, therefore, for your chosen professions. Or, if the programme you pursued was not your favourite, then as Steve Jobs advised, choose what you love to do. Remember what I said, University education is universal education. It opens doors for you. So choose what would make an impact from here on. It should be what you love to do. The bottom line is that to do well in whichever career you choose to do, you must develop a love for it. This will help you to persist even when the road becomes rough; and with persistence, you surely will succeed and make a positive impact wherever you find yourself. Take a cue from the motto of my great college, St. Augustines College, Omina Vincit Labour, perseverance conquers all.

I, therefore, challenge you all our gallant graduands to go out into the world and do the very best you can wherever you find yourself. Work hard to be abreast with modern trends in your chosen careers, be ethical and honest in all your dealings and you will be well on the way towards success. Go out there and with the knowledge you have acquired and with integrity, impact your world positively. May the true meaning of the golden words of the University’s motto – Knowledge, Integrity, Impact – be indelibly inscribed on the tablet of your hearts.

Mr Chairman let me also speak to Government, Academia and Industry. It is important that we should deepen the collaboration between these 3 entities in the resolution of the challenges that face us as a people. We do not involve academia enough in the quest for solutions of our problems. The partisanship in our country is too much, we need to break it. We rule our country with less than 30% of the resources available to us. This is because if you are not part of the ruling party, you are not likely to be part of those solving our problems. Even within the ruling parties if you are not on the side of the faction at the helm of affairs you are sidelined. Let us give meritocracy a chance.

Academia has also not yielded space to the politicians. I would recommend that the time when academia was brought into the crafting solutions for our problems is now. Academia should reject the invitation to be drawn into the NDC and NPP divide. Let’s disagree on the basis of theory, principle and practice. Let’s bring the academic rigour into the discussion and proferring of solutions to our national challenges. The Politicians would not yield the space easily, Academia should continue to push and offer solutions to some of the challenges that confront us. Politicians should invite Academia and Industry into thinking through and crafting solutions to our challenges.

One of my joys is that the Public University Bill, 2020 seem to have been scrapped. I believe that bill would have dealt a terminal blow to academic freedoms. Let us rather seek to ensure that we take out partisanship from the selection of leadership of our university. Let allow meritocracy to reign in the Universities. It is for academia to also reciprocate and be seen as providing the tools, the right skilled, future-ready graduates as well as relevant research to the challenges confronting us as a country and a continent.

Academia also has major roles to play moving us to evidence-based planning and decision-taking. – I believe academia needs to do more in helping to provide evidence-based ideas and solutions that industry can commercialize to provide goods and services to all. For this, we require Academia to do more of the reaching out and industry to be open for business. This for me is basic and is at the heart of our challenges. If academia is not impacting the industry and the real economy then we have a problem. This has to be fixed through the synergies that have to be built. I really don’t believe Ghanaians respect knowledge as much as we ought to do. But there is also a new craze for titles and you can see that in the way some supposedly respected members of our societies are abusing honorary doctorate degrees. We like the big names but it is not enough to be ‘book-long’. Academia would do well for themselves and earn a lot more respect if there is a lot more linkage between these big academic titles and the solutions to the problems that we face as African and Ghanaians.

It is very critical for the partnership to shape research, projects and thesis that are done in our universities. Industry players should offer their challenges to academia to research and partner them to commercialize the output. We must create opportunities for industry and academia to sit and deliberate on issues facing us as a people. So, that the research that students and faculty embark upon would also include solutions to challenges that currently confront us, as well as come up with innovations for the future. Not only should the topics be agreed upon together, but some members of the industry also serve as mentors for these projects. Industry should also offer their facilities to be the laboratories and incubators for testing some of the results and solutions of these researches. This arrangement has to be structured and periodically reviewed. COVID-19 gave us an opportunity to look inside ourselves for solutions, let us continue it.

As Industry players contribute to the shaping of curriculum, Academia should also be proactive in looking into local challenges confronting the nation and industry. This would also require the government to play a facilitating role. Offering some national projects and assignments for the resolution to the country’s problems to consortiums of Academia and Industry. There should be some financial incentives for the industries that would opt to be in these consortiums with Academia. Also, there could be some matching grants from the government for all the resources that Industry would put into these consortiums. Additionally, the government should put in place, processes to protect the Intellectual Property of the outcome that the ventures that Academia and Industry consortiums come up with.

Industry Associations like the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications should also reach out to academia to take on local challenges to find solutions. Professional Bodies, like the Ghana Institution of Engineering, Project Management Institute, IoD, etc who are made up of both Industry and Academia should collaborate and serve as a bridge between the two to help improve the quality of education. This should form a major part of their programmes. Their student membership programmes should be to improve the quality of what is learnt and taught today and into the future. They should be interested also in what is being taught at the basic and secondary levels. I would support a programme where professors and top academics, as well as Industry leaders, would have a scheme where together they go to primary schools and enlighten the pupils. A true master of a subject should be able to break a subject down to a 10-year-old pupil to understand. We have to link up our top brains from both academia and industry to our most fertile minds. It is these young minds that will build the industry of tomorrow.

Mr Chairman Distinguished guests, my colleagues from the inky fraternity, ladies and gentlemen. What is a race without a finish, what is a cause without completion, what is a beginning without an end, what is a cross without a resurrection? So, what would be matriculation without a congregation? Nunya, adidoe, asi deka metunee o—to wit, “Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it.”

That is what your education has done for you. I pray it has offered the ability to garner the hands necessary to be able to fully embrace it. I pray you have also offered your hands to complete the embrace. Acquiring knowledge is not an event, it is a process, this is what your graduation should have continued for you. If you really immersed yourself in your course of study, and you took in all that UENR had to offer you, then you would know that this graduation is but the beginning of a life of continuous learning, knowledge acquisition and contribution to making the world, Africa and your Ghana a better place than you met it.

Thank you very much for your attention.

May God bless us all,

May God bless UENR,

May God bless our homeland Ghana.

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