The University for Development (UDS) would from next academic year establish an Institute for the Study of Ethics, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Haruna Yakubu announced in Wa.

He said the establishment of the Institute was in fulfillment of the earlier promise he made at the 14th Congregation, that the university would tackle the issue of moral and social responsiveness through the establishment of a body.

Prof Yakubu, who announced this at the 15th Congregation at the Wa Campus of UDS, said the Institute would among other things introduce a mandatory course in ethics and social responsibility to be taken by all first years’ students.

He said the Institute in collaboration with the UDS Graduate School would develop postgraduate diploma and certificate programmes in Ethics and Social Responsibility, which would be opened to members of the public.

The purpose of the programme is to help inculcate ethical and socially responsibility behaviour among Ghanaians.

Vice Chancellor said UDS over the past years collaborated with other universities, agencies, organisations and institutions both nationally and internationally for the purpose of promoting the international image of the university and for capacity building.

In this regard, Prof Yakubu said UDS within the 2013/2014 academic year, had established linkages with several organisations and institutions, with the focus on exchange and training of academic staff and students and collaborative research.

Highlights of some of these collaborations include scholarships for PhD programmes and the use of laboratories and libraries of collaborating institutions.

Prof Yakubu said UDS is making strides in the area of training the needed health personnel for Ghana and had recently turned out a third batch of 33 medical doctors.

He said the training in UDS would provide the young doctors the opportunity to practice their profession successfully in the rural communities helping to address the challenges of inadequate health personnel in Ghana

The Vice Chancellor announced that UDS had established a joint medical training programme partnerships with Galilee Institute of Management in Israel aimed at training the much needed doctors and other medical personnel for Ghana.

He advised the graduates to be committed to the development of their communities and Ghana at large