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Quality Assurance key to educational transformation- WAAQAN President

The President for the West African Anglophone Quality Assurance Network(WAAQAN) Prof. Kayode Adekeye has said, quality assurance is key to educational transformation in Africa.
Delivering a keynote address at the opening ceremony of three-day maiden WAAQAN Conference at the Regional Maritime University(RMU) in Accra on Monday, he explained that quality assurance was essential in ensuring effective and efficient education at higher institutions of learning across the continent.
He said, registration, academics, staff recruitment, examination conducts, mode of course delivery as well as the issuance of transcripts to students, would require quality assurance drivers to ensure that there are instruments in place for measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of all operations for quality deliverables.
Consequently, he said WAAQAN since 2019 had trained over 60 individuals to become quality assurance drivers in various African countries.
“All stakeholders of our institutions should taking into consideration, quality assurance managers as they are at the center of healthy institutions,” he said.
He commended management of RMU for hosting the conference as it would present a learning opportunity for all stakeholders and essentially translate into quality education within tertiary institutions.
“Let as fix the processes within the system with quality assurance and the products would come out as the best,” he stated.
The Ag. Vice Chancellor of the RMU, Dr Jethro W. Brooks Jr said the collaboration between the WAAQAN and RMU was a testament to the power of partnership in advancing quality assurance in the sub-region.
“Through initiatives such as this conference, we can pool collective knowledge and experience, learn from one another and build a stronger and higher education system in West Africa,” he stated.
“As we move forward, let us remain committed to the principles of quality, accountability and continuous improvement. Let is work together to ensure that our respective institutions can serve as grounds where students can thrive, where faculty can innovate and where knowledge can be created and shared for the betterment of our sub-region,” he added.
By working together he said, they could influence policy at the national and regional levels, advocate for the resources and support needed to sustain quality assurance efforts and ensure that institutions were recognised for their commitment to excellence.
“By strengthening our internal quality assurance systems, we can position our institutions as leaders in the global academic community. We can produce graduates who are not only academically accomplished, but are also equipped with the relevant skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the global marketplace in whatever sphere of endevour” he stressed.
The conference under the theme, “Sharing Experiences on Internal Quality Assurance in Anglophone West African Countries Higher Education Institutions (HEIs),” brought together practitioners from Nigeria, Liberia, the Gambia, Sierra Leone and Ghana, to share experiences, provide solutions to quality assurance challenges and enhance quality education to meet international standards.
Opening the conference, the Deputy Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Nigeria Dr Noel Biodun Saliu said, the importance of quality assurance in education could not be underestimated.
The conference he said, was crucial as it would enlighten participants on the premium placed on quality assurance as the driver for growth at every sector.
“Let us collaborate effectively and ensure that we bring everyone on board as we seek to provide quality services within our institutions,” he stated.
In his presentation, the Director General of Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, Prof.Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai also expressed government’s commitment to ensuring quality education across the country.
He therefore called on all stakeholders within the education sector to make conscious efforts of providing quality services at all times.
Michael D. Abayateye
News
Intake of ‘Gobe’ can prevent heart diseases —Nutritionists

Nutritionists have advised Ghanaians to eat more beans-based meals, including the popular local dish, gari and beans, also known as ‘Gobe’ to prevent heart diseases. They said incidences of obesity and cancer could be minimised with the regular intake of beans meals.
At a programme in Accra to mark the World Pulses ( Beans) Day on Monday, Mr Wise Chukudi Letsa, Nutritionist and Dietician, who spoke on the topic: ‘Beans: The Super Food for Healthy Living and Healthy Farmlands,’ admonished Ghanaians to include beans in their diets.
Mr Letsa said beans was rich in protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals, irons and other nutrients and contained just a little fat. Mr Letsa, a Nutritionist with Lets Consult, stated that the presence of those nutrients in beans explained why its intake could prevent heart diseases and other ailments, hence the need to consume it regularly.
The event, dubbed: ‘Meatless Monday’ was organised by the Communications Initiative for Change (CIC), a Ghanaian non-profit organisation.
The ‘Meatless Monday’ is an initiative aimed at encouraging Ghanaians to reduce their intake of meat by taking in more beans-based meals on every Monday of a week.
It was launched after the United Nations in 2019, set aside February 10 to celebrate and encourage the consumption of pulses (beans) worldwide. This year’s celebration was hinged on the theme: ‘Bringing Diversity to Agrifood Systems.’
Mr Peter Agbovi, National Secretary, Chefs Association of Ghana, said a variety of meals could be prepared with beans, which include Waakye (rice and beans), Kose (beans paste made into cakes), Ayikple, Aboboi, Tuo Zaafi, Akyeke, and kakro.
He encouraged Ghanaians to consume more of those foods to stay healthy.
Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, the Executive Director, CIC, indicated that even if people could not eat beans-based meals regularly, efforts should be made to consume them every Monday.
He said that was the essence of the introduction of the ‘Meatless Monday’ initiative. -GNA
News
Restore beauty of Kwame Nkrumah Circle area / State of Kwame Nkrumah Circle an eyesore!

Small size quarry stones fixed at open spaces under the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange was to leave the place open and free from activities of beggars and other activities of the homeless.
By the way the stones were fixed, it makes the area, particularly the VIP and Neoplan Station stretch of the Interchange, inhabitable by the destitute.
But a walk through the area currently suggest the opposite.
At the median where pavement blocks have been taken over by these homeless and destitute, the area has been turned into a hotel where a number of these unfortunate ones have comfortably laid their mattresses and other stuff to rest from the day’s activities.
They have crossed over to the SSNIT and Kaneshie Station area with their activities and have removed the quarry stones which were to ward them off the place to enable them find spaces to sleep comfortably.


The pavement blocks removed from different locations under the interchange now serves as foundations on which beds were laid and in some cases, mosquito nets erected.
Their continued presence is not only creating a nuisance for commuters but marring the beauty and serenity of the place.
Sadly, the activities of these deprived fellows have been ignored while the numbers keep increasing day by day.
The Spectator finds the development very worrying and calls on the responsible authorities to clear the area to restore the beauty and serenity of the area.
By Victor A. Buxton