GCTU celebrates class of 2025 as leaders challenge graduates to shape Ghana’s digital future

The Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) has celebrated its graduating Class of 2025 at a Special Congregation, with university authorities and the Executive Director of the Data Protection Commission, Dr. Arnold Kavaarpuo, urging the graduates to become innovative, responsible and lifelong learners in an increasingly technology-driven world.

The graduating cohort comprises 60 graduates from Coventry University, 132 GCTU master’s graduates and 108 undergraduate graduates who have completed programmes across the University’s ICT, Business and Engineering faculties.

The ceremony brought together university authorities, faculty and staff, parents, guardians, families, industry partners, invited guests and graduands to mark the culmination of years of academic work, sacrifice and perseverance.

Addressing the graduating class, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of GCTU, Prof. Ebenezer Malcalm, congratulated the graduands and commended them for their resilience, discipline and commitment throughout their academic journey.

He described the Special Congregation as more than a ceremony for awarding degrees, saying it was a celebration of the collective efforts of the graduates, their families, lecturers and all those who supported them.

Prof. Malcalm urged the graduates to see their graduation as the beginning of a new chapter and challenged them to apply their knowledge and skills to solve societal problems, create opportunities and contribute to Ghana’s digital transformation.

“Education extends far beyond the conferral of degrees. It is a call to service, innovation and leadership,” he said.

He encouraged the graduates to embrace challenges with confidence, resilience and creativity, while pursuing excellence and developing innovative solutions to real-world challenges.

Prof. Malcalm also highlighted the university’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its infrastructure and academic environment as part of its ambition to become the “Silicon Valley of Africa.”

He said GCTU continues to invest in modern teaching and learning facilities and student-centred initiatives to promote academic excellence, research and innovation.

The university is also pursuing the construction of three eight-storey hostel blocks expected to accommodate more than 6,000 students, further addressing accommodation needs on campus.

Prof. Malcalm expressed confidence that the ongoing developments would strengthen GCTU’s position as a leading institution for technology, innovation and higher education in Ghana.

Delivering the keynote address under the theme “Shaping the Future: Innovation and Technology Education to Support Ghana’s Digital Economy,” Dr. Arnold Kavaarpuo challenged the graduates to prepare themselves for a rapidly changing job market driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

He cautioned that AI is increasingly capable of performing complex tasks, including analysing information, writing software, generating content and supporting decision-making.

He therefore urged graduates not to rely solely on their degrees but to continuously upgrade their skills, develop independent judgment and embrace lifelong learning.

Dr. Kavaarpuo stressed that while technology is becoming increasingly powerful and accessible, qualities such as courage, originality, responsibility, judgment and trust remain uniquely valuable.

“Intelligence is becoming abundant. Technology is becoming accessible. But courage, judgment, originality, responsibility and trust remain scarce. Make yourself scarce,” he told the graduates.

He warned against blindly accepting AI-generated outputs, stressing that machines cannot assume moral responsibility for the consequences of their decisions.

According to him, graduates must use AI to enhance their capabilities without surrendering their capacity to think critically and make responsible decisions.

Dr. Kavaarpuo further urged the graduates to recognise that their degrees are not the end of their education but the foundation for continuous learning and adaptation.

“Ghana does not need another generation that is merely impressed by technology. It needs a generation capable of building it, governing it and, when necessary, placing principled limits upon it,” he said.

Reflecting on his own experience as a GCTU alumnus, Dr. Kavaarpuo recounted how he pursued an MBA in Global Business while leading a financial technology company and helping launch mobile loans.

He revealed that he even missed his own graduation ceremony after an urgent technical problem at the company required him to remain behind to restore its platform.

He said the experience taught him that some of life’s most important work happens away from public recognition and that leadership often requires responsibility, sacrifice and commitment.

He urged the graduates to leave GCTU determined to create rather than merely consume, exercise judgment rather than outsource it, and use technology to expand human potential while protecting human dignity.