Professor Kayode Adekeye, the President for the West African Anglophone Quality Assurance Network (WAAQAN), says quality assurance is the key to educational transformation in Africa.
He said quality assurance was essential in ensuring effective and efficient education at higher institutions of learning across the continent.
Prof. Adekeye was speaking at the opening ceremony of a three-day maiden WAAQAN Conference at the Regional Maritime University (RMU) in Accra.
The Conference was on the theme: ‘Sharing Experiences on Internal Quality Assurance in Anglophone West African Countries Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).’
It brought practitioners from Nigeria, Liberia, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Ghana together to exchange experiences, offer solutions to quality assurance challenges, and improve education quality to meet international standards.
He said registration, academics, staff recruitment, examination conducts, mode of course delivery as well as the issuance of transcripts to students, would req
uire quality assurance drivers to ensure that there were instruments in place for measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of all operations for quality deliverables.
The President said WAAQAN since 2019 had trained over 60 individuals to become quality assurance drivers in various African countries.
‘All stakeholders of our institutions should take into consideration quality assurance managers as they are at the centre of healthy institutions,’ he said.
He commended management of RMU for hosting the Conference as it would present a learning opportunity for all stakeholders and essentially translate into quality education within tertiary institutions.
‘Let us fix the processes within the system with quality assurance and the products would come out as the best,’ he added.
Dr Jethro W. Brooks Jr, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the RMU, said the collaboration between the WAAQAN and the University was a testament to the power of partnership in advancing quality assurance in the sub-region.
‘Through initia
tives such as this conference, we can pool collective knowledge and experience, learn from one another and build a stronger and higher education system in West Africa,’ he said.
He said as they moved forward, ‘let us remain committed to the principles of quality, accountability and continuous improvement.’
The Vice-Chancellor called on stakeholders to work together to ensure that their respective institutions could serve as grounds where students could thrive, where faculty could innovate and where knowledge could be created and shared for the betterment of the sub-region.
‘By working together, we can influence policy at the national and regional levels, advocate for the resources and support needed to sustain quality assurance efforts and ensure that institutions are recognised for their commitment to excellence,’ he added.
He said by strengthening internal quality assurance systems, they could position their institutions as leaders in the global academic community.
Dr Noel Biodun Saliu, the Deputy Exec
utive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Nigeria, said the importance of quality assurance in education could not be underestimated.
He said the Conference was crucial as it would enlighten participants on the premium placed on quality assurance as the driver for growth in every sector.
‘Let us collaborate effectively and ensure that we bring everyone on board as we seek to provide quality services within our institutions,’ he added.
Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, the Director General of Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, expressed the government’s commitment to ensuring quality education across the country.
He called on all stakeholders within the education sector to make conscious efforts to always, providing quality services.
Source: Ghana News Agency
