Kumasi, April 28, GNA - Some 158 final year students from Publishing Studies Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology have graduated from a two-semester course in entrepreneurship and small business management.

The programme, introduced four years age by the department, sought to bring industry close to academia. The students were taken through 18 business related topics which aimed at enhancing their business acumen. Some of the topics studied were business plan writing, project management and proposal writing, employment law and professional ethics, tax administration in Ghana and Small Medium Entrepreneur, investment banking, fund management and brokerage services among others.

The course coordinator, Mr. Ralph Nyadu-Addo, said high calibre resource persons from industry, academia and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were involved in the training of the students to meet international standards.

He commended KNUST School of Business, EMPRETC and the Ghana National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI) for their support for the programme.

Mr. Nyadu-Addo lauded the university authorities and the German government for their support that enabled 14 final year students of the department to get scholarships to travel to Germany on academic tour. He praised Heidelberg Ghana Limited and HFC Bank for their support for the graduation programme.

The outgoing President of Ghana Book Industry Students and Association (GABISA), Nana Manukure Kissiedu, appealed to the university authorities to help improve infrastructure, provide enough books in their library as well as equipping their laboratory with machines. Students who excelled were presented with prizes and certificates and the overall best student award for the year 2008 was won by Mr Samuel Baidoo.