University of Education Winneba Confers Honorary Doctorate Degree on Speaker of Parliament Professor Michael Aaron Oquaye
21-12-2019
Rt. Hon. Prof. Michael Aaron Oquaye
The University of Education Winneba (UEW) on Friday announced the conferment of an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree on the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Professor Michael Aaron Oquaye by the University.
The Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University Professor Andy Ofori-Binkorang after consultation with the Rt. Hon. Speaker settled on the 2020 Convocation ceremony of the University as the day on which the honorary doctorate degree would be bestowed upon the Rt Hon Speaker.
Professor Andy Ofori-Binkorang on behalf of the University and the Vice Chancellor made the formal disclosure when he led a delegation from the University to pay a courtesy call on the Speaker at the Speaker’s Conference Room in Parliament House.
He said the visit was in fulfilment of the promise the University made to the Speaker when he presented a paper at Jophus Anamuah-Mensah Conference Centre, North Campus, of the University during the International Human Rights Day Celebration organised by the Centre for Conflict Resolution, Human Rights and Peace Studies (CHRAPS) of the University.
The Pro-Vice Chancellor said it would be recalled the Rt. Hon. Speaker in his presentation during the International Human Rights Day celebration organised by CHRAPS called for reinforcement of women empowerment and the enhancement of equal rights to boost women representation in decision making.
The Speaker, he further added, advocated for allocation of seats to women who would like to contest for elections and urged political parties to reserve quotas for women to encourage their participation in politics and governance and charged leaders and political activists to play their roles adequately to change that trajectory.
The Speaker in his acceptance speech expressed his gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to the University for the honour bestowed on him and commended the university authorities for their arduous and onerous efforts in leading the institution through the various stages and steps to its current enviable heights and status of becoming a fully-fledged university.
The Third Gentleman of the land assured the delegation of Parliament opening its doors to the University where they can undertake their research programmes as the House is a microcosm of the nation and urged the academia to foster good ties and workable relations with political institutions in areas of research and publications.
Earlier in the day, His Excellency Birender Singh Yadav, High Commissioner of India to Ghana and concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Togo paid a farewell call on the Rt. Hon. Speaker after almost three years duty tour.
Accompanied by the Second Secretary in charge of Commerce and Projects Mr. T.V. Ganesan, the High Commissioner disclosed that India had been Ghana’s reliable and steady partner in her development drive and has over time deepened socio-economic relations between the two countries guided by the principle of South-South Cooperation.
H.E. Birender Singh Yadav revealed that trade between the two countries between April and October last year amounted to USD 2.6 billion, with India exporting goods worth USD 4.75 billion to Ghana and importing goods amounting to USD 2.15 billion.
He is a career diplomat who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1997 having served extensively in Indian Missions abroad and in diplomatic assignments in various capacities in the Embassy of India in the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and as Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO and High Commission of India in Sri Lanka.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye highlighting India’s support to Ghana indicated that India had been very supportive to Ghana in terms of capacity building and expounded that over three thousand Ghanaians had undergone professional training and skill development programmes in diverse fields in India.
He said the Indian diaspora in Ghana has been vibrant in playing important roles geared toward cementing the ties between both countries and elucidated that bilateral trade between India and Ghana continue to increase since 2017.
The Third Gentleman of the land expressed his joy and satisfaction about the continuous cordial diplomatic ties between the two countries which were so tight that many Indians had become Ghanaian citizens and added that Ghana was keen to deepening ties with Indians of all spheres.
He was grateful to the government of India for her assistance in undertaking several projects including the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence for ICT, the Jubilee House Presidential Complex and the Pan African E-Network Project and Rural Electrification Project and wished the outgoing envoy a pleasant reception by the host country on his next duty tour.
