…As university of Offa produces eight first class graduates
President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana has said that youthful business ideas cannot translate into national development without affordable and accessible financing.
He said governments, financial institutions, universities and the private sector must work together to create an enabling environment in which young people’s ideas can survive, grow and scale.
Mahama spoke on Monday at the maiden convocation ceremony of the University of Offa, Offa, Kwara State, where he delivered a speech titled “From Certificate to Enterprise: Africa’s Graduates as Architects of the Continent’s Economic Future.”
He stressed that businesses needed affordable financing, while innovators required patient capital to develop and scale their ideas.
According to him, enterprises also needed efficient payment systems and access to markets to thrive.
“It will be paradoxical for us to tell young Africans to become entrepreneurs but deny them access to finance, infrastructure, and opportunity.
“We would have offered them an aspiration without the tools to realise it,” he said.
The Ghanaian president noted that the responsibility for creating an enabling environment for national growth and development rested not only with tertiary institutions but also with the government and other stakeholders.
“Therefore, the responsibility belongs to all of us. Young people must bring their ideas, energy and courage.
“Governments, financial institutions, universities, and the private sector must help create the enabling environment in which those ideas can survive, grow, and scale,” he said.
Mahama urged the University of Offa to make enterprise, research and innovation integral to its institutional identity.
He cautioned against a system that produces graduates with theoretical knowledge but insufficient practical skills, stressing that universities must equip students to address real-world challenges.
“The modern African university cannot be satisfied merely with producing graduates who can pass examinations. It must help students learn how to solve problems,” he stated.
While calling for greater emphasis on entrepreneurship, digital skills, innovation and critical thinking across academic disciplines, he noted “Universities should build stronger relationships with industry, encourage incubation and mentorship, and help promising students’ ideas progress from final-year projects to viable products and enterprises,” he advised.
Kazeem Alagbe Gbolagade, Professor and the Vice-Chancellor of the University
disclosed that the institution has produced eight first-class graduates out of the 140 graduands.
He explained that 54 graduates obtained Second Class Upper degrees, while 76 earned Second Class Lower degrees. Two graduates received Third Class honours.
Gbolagade noted the university, which was licensed in 2021 and commenced academic activities in 2022 with two faculties and 10 academic programmes, had expanded to four faculties and 17 programmes.
He listed the faculties as Science and Computing; Management and Social Sciences; Education; and Health Sciences.
The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the institution planned to introduce Law, Theatre Arts and Public Health programmes as part of its next phase of academic expansion.
On student enrolment, he said the university had recorded significant growth, with its student population increasing from 81 in the 2022/2023 academic session to 640 newly admitted students in the 2026/2027 session.
“Our quota for this year is 1,166 and once we fill up our quota, 2026/2027 admission will close,” he said.
Gbolagade attributed the institution’s growth to its commitment to academic excellence, strict adherence to the academic calendar, the integration of information technology and a focus on entrepreneurship.
He said the university had engaged visiting lecturers and established partnerships with institutions within and outside Nigeria to expose students to practical learning and international academic experiences.
According to him, the university had signed memoranda of understanding with Highstone International University in the United States and INTI International University in Malaysia to promote staff and student exchanges, research collaboration, grant acquisition and resource sharing.
He added that the institution had partnered with New Horizons to provide practical information technology training for students across all disciplines, with participants expected to earn additional professional certifications alongside their degree certificates.
On entrepreneurship, Gbolagade said the university was assisting students in registering their businesses with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), adding that plans were underway to introduce start-up grants for graduates.
He said the initiative was aimed at equipping graduates with the skills and resources to become job creators rather than job seekers.
The Vice-Chancellor further disclosed that all the university’s initial 10 academic programmes had received accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He added that four programmes in the Faculty of Health Sciences Nursing Science, Doctor of Physiotherapy, Medical Laboratory Science and Community Health Science recorded 100 per cent success in the NUC resource verification exercise conducted in April 2026.
However, Gbolagade identified inadequate infrastructure as one of the major challenges confronting the young institution.
He appealed for support to develop additional on-campus accommodation, a modern Senate building, a Faculty of Health Sciences building, a Faculty of Law building, a 1,000-capacity lecture theatre, a modern mosque, a library complex, a sports complex and a computer-based testing (CBT) centre.
Gbolagade assured that the institution would continue to strengthen its relationships with relevant stakeholders as it pursued its vision of becoming a leading institution of higher learning.
End
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