UGBS Alumni Association Organises a Public Lecture to Mark Chocolate Day

As part of the Chocolate Day celebrations of the Alumni Association, of the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), a Public Lecture was organised in collaboration with KPMG on the title "Managing Organisations in Turbulent Times" on 14th February 2023. The lecture, held at the RS Amegashie Auditorium, was to afford the students the opportunity to interact with members of the Alumni Association and other stakeholders of UGBS.
Delivering his welcome address, the Dean of UGBS, Professor Justice N. Bawole, indicated his delight at the presence of the Alumni. He urged the students to make good use of the opportunity and network with them. "We are gathering our students to interact with our alumni," he said. Adding to his speech, Prof. Bawole thanked the Alumni Association for keeping in touch with the Business school and making the Chocolate Day event successful.

Mr. Richard Kofi Afenu, Esq., Chief Executive Officer of Extractive Resources Consultancy Services, and the Second Vice President of the Alumni Association Executives of the UGBS thanked everyone for attending the lecture. He further explained the Chocolate / Valentine Day as a day of caring, sharing, and getting to know each other. He advised the students to keep ties with the business school even after completion to make the Alumni Association stronger.

Taking to the podium, the first speaker, Mr. Gordon Dardey, a Senior Manager at the Tax Unit of KPMG, expressed his delight at the opportunity to interact with the students and other stakeholders. He began his presentation with an emphasis on the origin of Chocolate Day and the importance of the day to the Ghanaian economy. "Chocolate Day celebration is very important for us as a country because, as projected by 2025, cocoa is going to support our GDP with about $4.1 billion," he added. Highlighting on the theme, "Managing Organisations in Turbulent Times," Mr. Dardey emphasised the need to connect at all levels, have a growth mindset, and learn more skills. He concluded his lecture by stressing the need to plan, prioritise and execute. He further advised organisations to manage talent, and resources and pay their taxes.

Moving on, Mr. Emmanuel Adomako Nuakoh, Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Organisation and Human Resource Management, UGBS, and a lawyer emphasised on the importance of students being able to recognise recent changes and challenges that organisations are facing. He urged  the students to learn strategies that can be beneficial to organisations. Mr. Adomako Nuakoh also advised the students to be solutions-oriented and embrace data-driven decision making.

Subsequently giving a brief remark, Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare, President of the UGBS Alumni Association indicated that the Association has an important role to play in UGBS. He urged the students to make great use of this opportunity set aside by the alumni for them.

There was also an interactive session during which the audience asked questions and contributed to the discussion. The day ended with the sharing of chocolates and networking.

Present at the lecture were faculty and staff of the Business School, staff from KPMG, UGBS’ School Administrator Mr. Emmanuel Poku-Sarkodee, Nana Dr. Michael Agyekum Addo, Nkabomhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area.