The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) is the latest Strategic Partner to join the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC).

A statement issued by Dr Koryoe Anim-Wright, the Registrar, UPSA and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said Professor Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey, Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, would represent the University on the CWEIC Global Advisory Council.

The UPSA is a top tier public institution that provides higher education in both academic and professional business disciplines in Ghana.

The statement said with over 50 years of experience, UPSA had achieved the reputation as the oldest Ghanaian human resource development institution in professional accountancy and management with many of its alumni in key leadership positions in Ghana and abroad.

CWEIC is a commercial, not-for-profit membership organisation with an official mandate from the Commonwealth Heads of Government to facilitate trade and investment throughout the 56 Commonwealth member nations.

CWEIC boasts of a vast network of more than 130 Strategic Partners, which include Commonwealth governments, businesses, multilateral institutions, and academia.

CWEIC has built a reputation as a trusted intermediary, providing invaluable connections between business and government, and between Strategic Partners looking to collaborate with one another.

The statement said following a visit to Ghana by Lord Swire, CWEIC Deputy Chair, UPSA decided to join the CWEIC network to foster new strategic alliances and international collaboration.

Professor Amartey commented on the new Strategic Partnership said: “UPSA is very pleased to be a member of CWEIC.

"As a progressive university that wants its graduates to become the most targeted

by top employers and its faculty, the leading resource for the transfer of knowledge to industry, this partnership will afford us the opportunity to forge symbiotic relationships that will create

opportunities for our students and faculty while enriching our offerings.”

It said Professor Amartey joined UPSA 16 years ago and became Vice-Chancellor in 2017.

It noted that under his tenure, the university had grown exponentially in infrastructure and reputation.

The student population has grown from 11,500 to 20,240 with an over 50 per cent rise in academic offerings.

The statement said Prof Amartey's exemplary leadership had been recognised with several awards.

Lord Swire commented: “CWEIC is delighted to welcome the University of Professional Studies as the latest Strategic Partner.

"We are excited to assist UPSA in achieving its objectives and establishing fresh partnerships.

"The remarkable expansion of the University serves as evidence of Professor Amartey’s dedication to and belief in the significance of delivering specialised education for the development of professional services.

"These services provide essential support to businesses and organisations, enabling them to operate more efficiently and effectively, and as such play a crucial role in the growth and development of Commonwealth trade and investment.”

Established as the Institute of Professional Studies in 1965 by the founder, Nana JK Opoku Ampomah, the Institute was the only tertiary educational institution to train professional accountants and administrators in the whole of West Africa at the time.

By order of a Presidential Charter in 2008, the Institute became a university, offering Doctoral, Postgraduate, Bachelors and Diploma courses, as well as professional programmes.

UPSA is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programmes (ACBSP) in the United States.