Governance expert Prof. Kwaku Asare has pushed back against suggestions that some university programmes have become irrelevant, arguing that Ghana’s graduate unemployment challenge is rooted more in economic weaknesses than the courses students pursue.

His comments follow remarks attributed to former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who reportedly described Development Studies at the University for Development Studies (UDS) and BA Education (Non-Teaching) at the University of Ghana as “degrees to nowhere.”

In a Facebook post responding to the debate, Prof. Asare described the comments as unfortunate, particularly coming from a former Education Minister and advocate for education reforms.

"Coming from a former Education Minister and a lifelong education reformer, I find those remarks, if accurate, unfortunate," he wrote.

According to him, while universities must ensure their programmes remain relevant and responsive to changing demands, the conversation about graduate unemployment must go beyond simply blaming academic disciplines.

He argued that employment opportunities are influenced largely by the strength of the economy and the ability of industries to create sustainable jobs.

"Graduate employment is determined not only, and not even primarily, by the degree a student earns. It also depends on the strength of the economy," he stated.

"A weak economy can produce unemployed engineers, lawyers, accountants, doctors, and computer scientists just as easily as unemployed graduates in the humanities or social sciences," he added.

Prof. Asare said the solution should not be to label some programmes as useless but to strengthen accountability within universities and improve alignment between education and labour market needs.

He called for the publication of graduate employment outcomes, regular labour market forecasting and the integration of digital, analytical and entrepreneurial skills into all academic programmes.

According to him, such reforms would better prepare graduates for emerging opportunities instead of creating the impression that some fields of study have no value.

Prof. Asare further argued that Ghana’s political and economic systems require urgent reforms if the country wants to address the root causes of graduate unemployment.

"Instead of calling degrees useless, perhaps we should focus on reforming our political parties. They were created to be engines of national development. Too often, they have become machines of patronage, profiteering, polarisation, and propaganda," he wrote.

He maintained that building a stronger economy would naturally create more opportunities for graduates across different fields.

"Fix the politics, and the economy has a fighting chance. Fix the economy, and far fewer degrees will be called 'degrees to nowhere,'" Prof. Asare added.

The debate has sparked wider discussions about tertiary education, employability and whether Ghana’s universities are producing graduates aligned with the country’s development needs.