The University for Development Studies under the auspices of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (IIR), organised the 2022 Harmattan School on the theme "Education for National Development: The Role of Academia, Industry and Development Partners". This year’s event marks the 16^th edition of the programme since its inception in 2007.

The 2 day event took place on February 1 and 2, 2022 in the Multipurpose Auditorium on the Tamale Campus of the University. The programme was well attended with participants coming from the academia, the security services, policymakers, public and civil society organisations and a cross-section of the general public.

In his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Gabriel Ayum Teye said the University has over the years used the annual conference as a platform to draw the attention of policymakers to varied developmental challenges confronting the Northern Regions and Ghana at large. He highly commended the IIR for the great initiative whiles acknowledging the contributions by various individuals and organisations towards the success and continuity of the Harmattan School.

Dr. Eric Nkansah (Technical Advisor in Charge of Tertiary Education), in a speech read on behalf of the Minister of Education, mentioned several strategies and reforms introduced by the government to make the Education Sector an important vehicle for national growth and sustainable development. He was certain the new reforms and policies would help reposition the education sector to churn out skillful and employable manpower for the socio-economic transformation of Ghana. He added that adequate legal, institutional and regulatory frameworks have been put in place to enhance the governance system and ensure efficiency in education service delivery.

Dr. Nkansah called on all to remain hopeful as the country is making positive thrives at increasing Gross Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (GTER) by the year 2030 where adequate infrastructures will be in place to support enrolment in all stages of our education. He commended the UDS for organising the Harmattan School where relevant socio-economic issues are discussed and solutions professed for enhancement, calling on UDS to come out with recommendations to enable the government make informed decisions on education.

On his part, Mr. Kofi Asare, (Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, a civil society organization) lamented over the rate at which state projects are been abandoned by successive governments, calling on de-politicisation of education for holistic national development.

Different participants including Hon. Samuel Nartey George-MP for Ningo-Prampram, Mr. Alhassan Mohammed Awal of NORSAAC, Dr. Fred kyei Asamoah of COTVET and others took turns to present papers on diverse issues affecting education delivery in Ghana.

Professor Stephen Tabiri (Dean of the School of Medicine) who chaired the conference, thanked all for making the programme a success.