According to ghana news agency:ccording to Ghana News Agency, the 2025 conference, themed 'Sustainable Pathways for Peace, Governance, and Inclusive Development in Africa', reflected Ghana and Africa's development priorities and aligned with the global Agenda 2030, particularly Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions.
The three-day conference brought together over one hundred registered participants from institutions across the country, including the University of Ghana, the University for Development Studies, University of Cape Coast, and Ghana's Ministry of Local Government, among others.
Speaking at the opening in Wa, Professor Emmanuel Kanchebe Derbile, the Vice-Chancellor of SDD-UBIDS, remarked on the essential role of peace and effective governance in achieving prosperity, equity, and inclusivity. He expressed hope that the conference outcomes would propel development at community, national, and continental levels.
The management of SDD-UBIDS has recognized the importance of strengthening research and innovation to position the University as a leading educational institution nationally and internationally. Prof. Derbile indicated that the University's Directorate of Research is developing policies and guidelines to achieve this goal.
He also mentioned that the Research Directorate is facilitating the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Risk Management Policies, which are prerequisites for accessing certain grants and partnerships. 'Management is committed to establishing a robust Grants Office that will serve as the institutional hub for sourcing, winning, and managing competitive research and development grants', he announced.
Prof. Frederick Dayour, the Director of Research at SDD-UBIDS, noted that 90 abstracts out of 124 entries were accepted for presentation at the conference. He explained the efforts to ensure that papers presented become useful academic outputs, highlighting the rigorous review process that led to the publication of 17 high-standard scholarly papers.
Prof. Dayour further mentioned ongoing capacity-building seminars and workshops for staff and postgraduate students, aimed at nurturing skills necessary for impactful research.
Mr. Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Regional Minister, emphasized that Africa's challenges, including climate change, fragile peace, poverty, and youth unemployment, could be turned into opportunities for transformative change through sustainable, inclusive, and well-researched solutions. He highlighted the importance of bridging theory and practice, policy and action, and knowledge and impact in addressing these challenges.
He pointed out that issues such as food insecurity, climate-induced migration, youth unemployment, and substance abuse in the Upper West Region require not only policy responses but also rigorous academic inquiry.