Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
President of Ghana, Dr. John Dramani Mahama, yesterday, said no amount of youthful business ideas will translate to national development without government’s interest in affordable and accessible finance.
Mahama said it was the responsibility of governments, financial institutions, universities, and the private sector to help create the enabling environment in which those youthful ideas could survive, grow, and scale.
Mahama spoke at the maiden convocation ceremony of University of Offa, Offa, Kwara State.
He said businesses needed affordable finance.
Delivering his speech, themed, “From Certificate to Enterprise: Africa’s Graduates as Architects of the Continent’s Economic Future,” the Ghanaian president, who was represented by Ghana High Commissioner-designate to Nigeria, H.E Baba Sadiq Abdulai Abu, stated that innovators needed patient capital.
According to him, “Enterprises need efficient payment systems and market access.
“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.”
Mahama explained that the responsibility to create the enabling environment for national growth and development lied not only with the tertiary schools but also the government.
He said, “Therefore, the responsibility belongs to all of us. Young people must bring their ideas, energy and courage.”
He added, “Governments, financial institutions, universities, and the private sector must help create the enabling environment in which those ideas can survive, grow, and scale.”
Mahama urged University of Offa to make enterprise, research, and innovation integral to its identity.
He cautioned against the production of graduates with theories, but without practical knowledge.
He said, “Modern African university cannot be satisfied merely with producing graduates who can pass examinations. It must help students learn how to solve problems.”
Mahama stated that entrepreneurship, digital skills, innovation, and critical thinking should increasingly span disciplines.
He said, “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.”
Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Kazeem Alagbe Gbolagade, said the university had produced eight First Class graduates among a total of 140 first degree graduates at its maiden convocation ceremony
Gbolagade said 54 graduates bagged Second Class Upper degrees, 76 got Second Class Lower degrees, and two graduates had Third Class honours.
The vice chancellor said the university, which was licensed in 2021 and commenced academic activities in 2022 with two faculties and 10 programmes, had grown to four faculties and 17 academic programmes.
He listed the faculties as the Faculties of Science and Computing; Management and Social Sciences; Education; and Health Sciences.
Gbolagade said the institution was also planning to introduce Law, Theatre Arts, and Public Health programmes as part of its next phase of academic expansion.
On student enrolment, the vice chancellor said the university had recorded significant growth, with its student population rising from 81 in the 2022/2023 academic session to 640 newly admitted students in the 2026/2027 session.
He said more than 1,000 prospective students had applied for admission in the current session, adding that admission is still ongoing.
“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 growth to the institution’s commitment to academic excellence, strict adherence to its academic calendar, information technology, and entrepreneurship.
He said the university had also engaged visiting lecturers and entered into partnerships with institutions within and outside Nigeria to expose students to practical and international learning experiences.
According to him, the university signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with Highstone International University, USA, and INTI International University, Malaysia, to promote staff and student exchanges, research collaboration, grant attraction, and resource sharing.
He added that the institution had partnered with New Horizon to provide practical information technology training for students across all disciplines, with students expected to earn additional professional certifications alongside their degree certificates.
Gbolagade also disclosed that the university had made progress in research and grant acquisition, stating that some of its academics have secured research grants and international opportunities.
He said the University of Offa Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies was launched in March 2026, while its first volume, containing 19 articles, was published in June.
On entrepreneurship, Gbolagade said the university was helping students acquire Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration for their businesses, with plans to introduce start-up grants for graduates in the future.
He said the initiative was part of efforts to equip graduates with the skills to become job creators rather than job seekers.
He also said 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 – also recorded 100 per cent success during the NUC resource verification exercise conducted in April 2026.
Gbolagade, however, identified inadequate infrastructure as one of the major challenges confronting the young institution.
He appealed for support for the development of additional on-campus accommodation, a modern Senate building, Faculty of Health Sciences building, Faculty of Law building, a 1,000-capacity lecture theatre, modern mosque, library complex, sports complex, and a CBT centre.
He expressed appreciation to the founder of the university, Dr. Abdulrasaq Oyewale, for his vision and support towards the development of the institution.
He also disclosed that the university had introduced a 50 per cent salary increase for its staff effective October 1, 2026, as part of its welfare package.
Gbolagade said the university would continue to strengthen its relationship with the media and other stakeholders as it worked towards achieving its vision of becoming a leading institution of higher learning.
According to him, the convocation week would feature a series of activities, including counselling and job training for graduates, an intra-university sports competition, special Jumat prayer, a convocation prayer, the launching of a N3 billion university project, dinner, and award night.
He added that the investiture of the university’s Chancellor and the convocation lecture had remained an indelible mark in the history of the university.