UG Leads Innovation in Higher Education with Major EU-Funded Capacity Building Project
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, has commended the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project, “Transitioning Higher Education Regulators and Universities to Competency-Based Education in East and West Africa (TRUCE),” for securing major international grants and championing reforms to strengthen graduate employability and skills development in higher education.
The Vice-Chancellor gave the commendation when the UG TRUCE Project Team, led by the Provost of the College of Education, Professor Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, called on her to formally introduce the project and seek management support for its implementation.
Professor Codjoe explained that the four-year TRUCE Project seeks to transition universities from traditional teaching methods to competency-based education systems that align learning outcomes with the skills, values and mindsets required in the workplace.
The VC, Professor Amfo, described the initiative as a “timely and relevant” project, particularly at a period when higher education institutions across the world are increasingly focusing on skills development and competency-based learning. She noted that the project’s collaborative approach, which brings together universities, regulators and industry players, makes it particularly unique and impactful.
The Vice-Chancellor also advised the implementing unit, Legon Centre for Education Research and Policy (LECERP) of the College of Education to collaborate with units such as the Academic Quality Assurance Directorate and the Centre for Teaching and Learning Innovation to facilitate effective implementation.
Professor Amfo expressed particular delight at the achievements of the Legon Centre for Education Research and Policy (LICERP), describing it as a young centre that had exceeded expectations.
Director of LICERP, Dr. Clement Adamba, noted that the project seeks to ensure that university graduates acquire competencies that align with industry expectations and evolving workplace demands. He explained that the project would focus on developing competency-based education frameworks, conducting skills-gap analyses and building the capacity of faculty and regulators.
Speaking at the meeting, a Senior Lecturer at the College of Education, Dr. Joyce Anku, noted that the secondary school education system had already begun implementing competency-based education approaches and stressed the need for universities to prepare adequately for students entering tertiary institutions under the new system in 2028. Dr. Anku added that the project would help universities provide transformative student experiences while strengthening engagement with industry through impactful research and collaboration.
Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Elizier T. Ameyaw-Buronyah, in her closing remarks, congratulated the team on the successful grant award and encouraged them to continue pursuing impactful research initiatives that align with the University’s strategic priorities. She noted that impactful research remains one of the University’s key strategic pillars and commended the College of Education for nurturing a young but highly productive research centre.
The TRUCE project is being implemented by a consortium of nine institutions across West and East Africa and Europe, including Makerere University (Uganda), the University of Ghana, Legon (Ghana), Mountains of the Moon University (Uganda), the University of Education, Winneba (Ghana), Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), Instituto Politécnico do Porto (Portugal), the National Council for Higher Education (Uganda), the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (Ghana) and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM).
