Public Universities have been urged to restructure and change their programs to correspond to the needs of the job market.

Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mr Mahama Ayariga, said the restructuring must be done to ensure that university graduates gain easy access to jobs.

'' Industries depend on innovation, research and development of new products thrive,'' he stated.

He called on the universities to introduce new programs that would help provide the various industries with the required human resource base to enable them grow faster like other sectors.

Mr Ayariga said this at the maiden alumni lecture of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in Accra, on the theme: “Tertiary Education and its Impact on the Nation’s Economy.”

According to him tertiary education has contributed immensely to the development of Ghana’s economy especially in the tourism and financial sectors.

He said University lecturers also need to engage in more research work in order to help industries develop new products.

On his part Mr Balado Manu, a former Member of Parliament for Ahafo Ano South and alumni of GIMPA also called for a change in the curricula of the public universities as the world is changing at a faster pace.

He said universities should display innovation in what they do, which must reflect on the students they produce.

He also asked the National Council for Tertiary Education to assist in this regard.

Mr Manu expressed shock at the formation of the Unemployed Graduate Association; saying that those belonging to the association should use their acquired knowledge in school to create jobs for themselves.