Communication training must be flexible – Dr K. Boafo

Curricula need to be open to incorporation of new subjects, themes and issues in order to produce industry-ready communications graduates, Dr S.T. Kwame Boafo has said at Wisconsin International University College’s maiden public lecture.

The event, held at the institution’s main campus in North Legon, was organised by the School of Communication Studies on 18 October 2016. It was the first of its kind for the university college.

Speaking on the theme “The Challenges of Communication Education and Training in Africa Today”, the renowned Communications scholar pointed out that the training offered by many of the 10 public universities and 70 private universities/university colleges in Ghana had “remarkable similarity… with the predominance of traditional/conventional courses”.

Some of the challenges he pointed out included relevance of curricula, availability of training tools and materials and lack of adequately trained instructors, as well as the heavy reliance on part-time lecturers.

Insufficient collaboration and dialogue between practitioners, professionals and other stakeholders and lack of access to scholarly journals, publications, and research reports to keep abreast of emerging trends and issues in journalism and communication were some of the other challenges cited by the international communications and information consultant.

Dr Boafo added: “I would recommend regular analysis of the details of the curricula and courses used in the communication education and training programmes in Ghana; such analysis will help determine their relevance and utility value for the immediate, medium-term or long-term development needs and challenges in the society.”

He said a regular review would lead to the recognition of the need to give prominence to areas such as:

communication for social and behavioural change
inter-ethnic and cross-cultural communication
community media, especially radio
communication and dialogue, conflict prevention, management and resolution
media sustainability
communication, sustainable development and social inclusiveness
media, gender, children and youth
communication and people with disabilities
communication and human and people’s rights
media and information literacy
digital media production and web design
audience survey, evaluation and assessment of communication/media impact

The African Communications scholar added that the goal of 21 century communications training should be “to produce graduates who are equipped with intellectual competence and resources to understand the world around them, and appropriate technological skills to function effectively in an increasingly complex communication and information environment – nationally, regionally and internationally.”

The lecture was proposed as a colloquium that is expected to set off a series of discussions to provide directions for addressing the issue in Ghana.

The event was attended by Wisconsin management, lecturers, staff and students.

Others in attendance included Communications scholars from University of Ghana, Ghana Institute of Journalism, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the University of Professional Studies and Islamic University College.

Representatives from the National Media Council, ECOWAS and the German Development Corporation (GIZ) were also in attendance.

About the guest lecturer:

Dr.S.T. Kwame Boafo is an international communication and information consultant and currently adjunct professor at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica. He worked in different positions in UNESCO from March 1993 until he retired in 2012.

Dr Boafo has co-edited eleven books, authored 10 book chapters and over 40 journal articles. He has presented about 100 academic papers, research reports and occasional papers on communication and development/social change, media freedom, human rights and governance in conferences in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dr. Boafo started his illustrious and distinguished academic and international development career as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, in 1980.