From the 29th June 2005 to 30th June 2005, the Renaissance Network, a Ghanaian think tank organized a seminar dubbed “Blow Your Mind Series” at the Ashesi University in Accra. The two day seminar was organized to educate individuals about the deteriorating state of the university educational system in Ghana and to discuss ways to bring about innovation and change.
Hosted by Lloyd Amoah, Director of Renaissance Network, the program was packed with personnel from diverse institutions and sectors in Ghana. Among the invited panel of speakers were Patrick Awuah (President Ashesi University), Mr. David Ampofo (Channel 2 Communications), Dr. Kwaku Osafo (EU Micro Projects Unit), and Mrs. Florence Hutchful (Standard Chartered Bank).
Seminar discussions ranged from curriculum reform to educational funding. Speakers agreed that a focus should be made on instituting curriculum reform that included courses that feature ethics, citizenship and leadership. Speakers also emphasized that Universities and Polytechnics needed to do a better job of encouraging students to apply what they were learning while still in school. Business managers stated that employees often had to be retrained because they were ill prepared to use such tools as computers that are used in the workplace and have trouble solving problems on their own. Finally speakers discussed the need to reexamine of how education was financed to ensure that schools and teachers have the resources the need to provide quality education.
The mission of seminar organizers, Renaissance Network, is to transform Ghana’s fortunes into reality; fortunes of character, purpose, belief, ambition, vision, discipline and hard work. By hosting public discussions on key issues facing Ghana in the 21st Century Renaissance Network hopes to develop solutions that can be implemented and bring about positive change.