Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, has indicated government’s commitment to giving the management and councils of public universities the freehand to operate.

He said government placed high premium on academic freedom and regarded external interferences in universities as a threat to that freedom.

“I want to assure you that His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, supported by his Vice President, Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, a former vice-chancellor herself, and a highly experienced academic, is firmly committed to empowering university councils and management to perform their statutory duties without interference.”

The Minister gave the assurance in a speech read on his behalf at the Second Session of the Third Congregation of the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), in Accra, on Friday.

The event saw the University confer a Master of Philosophies (Mphil) and Master of Arts (MA) degree on 205 students; comprising 116 females and 89 males.

Mr Iddrisu expressed government’s commitment to empowering academic boards and management of the various public universities to enable them to perform their duties legitimately.

He, however, warned that the Ministry would not hesitate to hold them accountable for non-performance or illegitimate actions.

The Minister commended the Management of UniMAC for its commitment to upholding excellence and for incorporating research as a key area of study.

The government attached high importance to research functions because they were critical for the country’s development, he said, and promised to operationalise the Ghana National Research Fund Act (Act 1056).

Passed by Parliament in 2020, the Act is designed to provide sustainable financial support for research activities in universities and research institutions.

The Minister said plans were far advanced to have it operationalised to support research activities in the various universities.

“Management structures are being put in place with seed money from GETFund to ensure that the national research fund becomes operational this year.”

He assured the Management of UniMAC of government’s continued support to enable it to train professionals capable of competing both locally and internationally with their peers.

Prof. Eric Opoku Mensah, the Vice-Chancellor, UniMAC, said as an institution, it remained committed to equipping graduates with the skills necessary for the 21st century economy.

“Moreover, our alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reinforces our commitment to quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), industry innovation (SDG 9), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10),” he said.

“Through research, policy advocacy, and academic excellence, we remain steadfast in shaping a future where education is the bridge to prosperity.”

Prof Mensah stressed the need for infrastructural expansion, improved student welfare, and enhanced faculty development, appealing to the government to provide support to the school to enable it to achieve that objective.

He urged the graduands to be resilient, adapt to the ever-changing job market and continue to learn to make the impact they desired.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, a Development Communication postgraduate student, Mr James Amoh Junior, described the academic journey as both “transformative and enlightening.”

He said the course provided a deeper understanding of the intersection between communication and sustainable development, equipping students with the tools to drive social change through strategic messaging and storytelling.

“This experience has reshaped the way I approach journalism and communication. It has deepened my commitment to using my platform not just to inform, but to influence policies and empower communities,” he said.