The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) has held a special graduation ceremony for its third module of Masters in Public Administration (MPA) graduands.

Forty-one students who enrolled in the course came out successfully. The special MPA graduation was held for the staff of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), and the Volta River Authority (VRA).

Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Philip Ebow Bondzi-Simpson, the Recto of GIMPA, said the establishment of two new schools; the School of Research and Graduate Studies (SRGS) and the School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (SOLASS), during the 2017/2018 academic year, had gone a long way to enhance research, teaching and learning at the Institute.

He said the SRGS would provide even better structure and coordination in the delivery of graduate programmes, and in particular to ensure ongoing quality supervision of research candidates, and timely submission and examination of theses, ensuring timely completion of programmes and the graduation of excellent products.

He said SOLASS had already commenced steps to initiate graduate programmes in Economics and to strengthen French Language proficiency for public servants and business executives.

He announced that the MTN Foundation would put up and furnish a Technology Building, complete with offices, lab and lecture rooms.

Touching on future strategy, the Professor Bondzi-Simpson said there would be better-improved engagement with the government adding that the Institute would receive fitting support from Government, particularly for capital projects, research and public-sector support and consultancy.

Prof Bondzi-Simpson said the Institute would diversify its income sources and significantly augment and complement tuition fees.

He noted that there would be a sharp focus on Leadership, Graduate Studies and Law.

Moving forward, Prof Bondzi-Simpson said Leadership and Entrepreneurship would be introduced in every programme perhaps with a Certificate or Diploma to show for it.

Mr Jonathan Amoako-Baah, the Chief Executive of GRIDCo, said the Company's Management position had been that the MPA Programme would make the staff proactive to enhance their expertise.

He said it would also grant them skills such as critical and creative independent thinking as well as problem-solving, good grasp in project management and human resource management, data analysis, and eventually make them the most preferred candidates for promotions when the vacancies come up.

To the graduating class, Mr Amoako-Baah said: "GIMPA has done its best for you and we have equally spent resources to help build you up. Go out there and be exemplary, active, creative, honest and eager to bring what you have learnt to bear on your work".

Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, the Chief Executive of VRA, in a speech read on his behalf, said the Authority and its sister institutions such as GRIDCo were established by the Government to play a critical role in the accelerated development of the nation, as such it required a determined and well-developed workforce to carry out this mandate.

"GIMPA has gained worldwide recognition for providing excellent training in public administration and VRA is proud to associate itself with this Institution, to promote local content in the human resource development of Ghana," he said.

Antwi-Darkwa said guided by its corporate vision of being "A Model of Excellence for Power Utilities in Africa", the VRA was constantly seeking to improve the wellbeing and capacity of its human capital in the areas of managerial, professional and technical competencies, and this had been the Authority's hallmark.

In his advice to the graduands, Mr Antwi-Darkwa said: "With your completion of this MPA programme, VRA and GRIDCo have created a larger pool of staff available for the critical succession planning required in our institutions".

"Finally, I urge you all to utilise the skills acquired on the programme effectively to move our companies and Ghana through the many challenges we face."

The Overall Best Student Award went to Madam Matilda Atswei Deisah Browne.