In the coastal town of Winneba, a quiet educational revolution has been unfolding for nearly three decades.
The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) – established in 1992 through a bold merger of seven distinct teacher training, technical, language, and arts colleges – has grown into a unique national institution.
Elevated to full university status in 2004, UEW was charged with a special mandate: to produce professional educators to spearhead a new national vision of education, redirecting Ghana’s development trajectory and training scholars attuned to the real needs of communities.
This mission set UEW apart as more than a teacher college; it became, in essence, a catalyst for social and economic progress through education.
Today, UEW’s influence extends far beyond its lecture halls, as it molds graduates who not only excel in their fields but also ignite excellence in others, living up to its reputation as, in its own words, “a force of positive change in the world of education”.
One hallmark of UEW’s approach is an emphasis on multiplying impact – the idea that a true leader or professional doesn’t work in isolation, but creates a ripple effect of improvement in society. This ethos is evident across the diverse arenas where UEW alumni are making a difference.
UEW-trained professionals can be found mentoring peers, innovating solutions, and leading initiatives that amplify their influence well beyond their job titles.
UEW is uniquely forging transformative leaders – not just achievers, but “transitive agents” of change – across education, STEM, entrepreneurship, trade, and public service, both in Ghana and on the global stage.
A Vision to Transform, From Classroom to Community
From its inception, UEW’s core focus has been teacher education – but with a transformative twist.
“At the heart of our mission lies a deep commitment to the advancement of teacher education,” the university proclaims.
UEW doesn’t just train teachers to fill vacancies; it nurtures educators as agents of change, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and professionalism to excel in any setting from preschool to adult education.
The expectation is clear: when a UEW-trained teacher enters a school, the school itself should be better for it. Graduates carry forward methods and mentorship that elevate not only their students but also their fellow teachers – a multiplier effect in the education system.
Crucially, UEW Nurtures an ethic of community engagement alongside academic excellence.
The university explicitly fosters “essential links between [its] schools and the broader community,” promoting holistic training where students apply their learning in real-world community contexts.
Teaching practice and service learning are not afterthoughts but integral to the curriculum.
As a result, the positive impact of UEW graduates extends far beyond campus – a newly certified teacher from Winneba might return to a rural district and start a reading clinic for village children, or spearhead a community health education drive, multiplying the effect of their degree in widening ripples.
This model aligns with Ghana’s development goals, as UEW is tasked to “play a leading role” in driving economic and social development through education.
By emphasising that education is a shared responsibility between school and society, UEW has created a generation of educators who see themselves as nation-builders first and foremost.
The results of this approach are tangible.
UEW-trained teachers consistently distinguish themselves at national and international levels, underscoring the institution’s broad influence on educational quality.
Perhaps most strikingly, UEW’s influence in education has now been felt on the global stage. In 2022, Mr. Otoo – already a celebrated teacher at home – was announced as the overall winner of an international Lifetime Achievement in Education Award at a ceremony in Dubai.
This prestigious honor, selected from finalists across 50 countries, recognized the educator who had made “the greatest overall contribution to education in their communities outside of their own professional field”.
In other words, Mr. Otoo was chosen not just for being an excellent teacher in his classroom, but for the broader ripple effects of his work in the community. It is a powerful confirmation of UEW’s ethos: the true measure of an educator is the wider impact they have.
When UEW’s Vice-Chancellor Prof. Stephen Jobson Mitchual addressed the university’s 29th Congregation in late 2024, he captured this ethos by urging the graduates to use their knowledge to “pursue excellence, be resilient and contribute to transformational change”, seeing their graduation not as an end, but “a launchpad for new adventures… to make a difference in communities and beyond”.
It was a charge entirely in keeping with UEW’s legacy as, in Prof. Mitchual’s words, “a trailblazer in shaping the future of education in Ghana and beyond.”
Innovating in STEM: From Local Clubs to Global Thinking
While teacher training remains UEW’s backbone, the university has expanded its transformative touch to the sciences and technology – critical fields for Ghana’s development.
In February 2025, UEW launched the Community STEM Clubs Project, an innovative initiative to spark young people’s interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics from the ground up.
Led by the university’s Centre for School and Community Science and Technology Studies, this project establishes vibrant STEM clubs in local schools and community centers, where pupils engage in hands-on science and engineering activities under the mentorship of trained facilitators.
Importantly, UEW is not doing this alone: the program provides training and toolkits for teachers and club facilitators, and forges partnerships with local industries and organizations to create pathways for students – offering mentorships, internships and real-world exposure for aspiring scientists.
The goal is both pragmatic and visionary: to prepare youth for the workforce of tomorrow and “inspire them to become the next generation of innovators and leaders in STEM fields.”
At the launch of the STEM Clubs, UEW’s Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mitchual illustrated the kind of mindset the university hopes to instill. He recounted an anecdote about developing a mechanized “fufu‐pounding machine” – a creative engineering solution to a local need – as an example of how scientific knowledge can address everyday challenges.
“We possess the ability to identify challenges within our communities, and we must develop effective solutions,” Prof. Mitchual noted, emphasizing that a tradesman with a STEM background should “infuse innovation into his craft” rather than remain an ordinary artisan.
In other words, a carpenter or technician trained by UEW is encouraged to be not just a worker, but an innovator – upgrading local industry with new ideas.
This approach, Mitchual stressed, is what distinguishes a UEW graduate’s impact in their field.
It’s a philosophy very much in line with the broader observation that nations thrive on continuous innovation.
By embedding this problem-solving, entrepreneurial mindset in its science and vocational education programs, UEW again aims for a multiplier effect: each STEM teacher or technical education graduate it produces could potentially seed dozens of young inventors or tech entrepreneurs in communities across Ghana.
The need for such initiatives is clear. Ghana has, in recent years, identified a gap in STEM education – current statistics show that only about 37% of students in teacher training institutions pursue STEM-related courses, far below the national target of 60%.
UEW’s response has been direct: if young people aren’t coming into STEM, UEW will bring STEM to them, at early ages and in accessible ways.
The Community STEM Clubs Project is a landmark step to “empower young minds, stimulate their curiosity from an early age, and nurture their passion for STEM,” as Prof. Enoch F. Sam, head of the program, put it.
By demystifying science and showing its fun, practical side, UEW is cultivating a pipeline of future scientists, engineers, and critical thinkers. These youths, in turn, are likely to become mentors for their peers, creating a cascading effect.
It’s easy to imagine a scenario a few years hence, where a secondary student inspired by a UEW STEM club goes on to become a physics teacher, an entrepreneur, or a researcher who then influences dozens more. In nurturing this virtuous cycle, UEW again exemplifies leadership that multiplies leadership.
Entrepreneurship and Self-Reliance: Educating Job Creators
Education at UEW has never been solely about imparting subject matter expertise – it is also about cultivating self-reliance and initiative.
This is evident in the university’s strong encouragement of entrepreneurship, business acumen, and practical skills across various programs, including those not traditionally associated with business.
The rationale is straightforward: Ghana’s youth population is large and dynamic, and not every graduate can or should wait for a government job placement.
As one UEW Vice-Chancellor famously advised new graduates, they should “dare to create jobs by themselves and [they’d] be amazed at what they can achieve.”
It’s advice that UEW’s students have eagerly taken to heart.
UEW’s School of Business (SoB) has been proactive in this arena, blending academic theory with real-world application. Regular seminars and workshops bring industry leaders and policymakers to campus to guide students on how to seize opportunities.
In August 2024, for instance, the SoB hosted a seminar focusing on empowering young entrepreneurs through Ghana’s public procurement system.
Students learned how bidding on government contracts – which account for a sizable 15% of Ghana’s GDP – can be a gateway to scale up their startups.
The message was clear: entrepreneurship isn’t just Silicon Valley-style tech startups; it can also mean leveraging local markets and public-sector demand.
Knowledge is power in this regard, and UEW ensures its students know how to navigate tender processes, compliance, and competitive bidding.
By demystifying these avenues, the university is effectively building a bridge from the classroom to the marketplace, helping its graduates become not job seekers, but job creators.
Nothing illustrates UEW’s entrepreneurial spirit better than the story of Mr. Ernest Osei Bonsu, a young alumnus who has exemplified what it means to multiply one’s impact.
Bonsu graduated from UEW in 2020 with a degree in Home Economics Education – a field traditionally associated with teaching food and nutrition or managing a home.
But he saw a greater opportunity. While still in his first year as an undergraduate, this enterprising student registered his own company, Ernestob Enterprise, and began growing it alongside his studies.
By the time he donned his graduation gown, Bonsu had transformed himself into a multifaceted entrepreneur.
His company spans six different business lines – a food court, a bakery, a fashion and millinery boutique, a floral and bridal décor service, a cleaning-agents manufacturing unit, and more – all under the Ernestob brand.
Remarkably, he achieved this while completing his coursework and even now continues to teach Foods and Nutrition at a high school as part of his national service.
Bonsu’s drive and creativity embody the values UEW strives to instill. He didn’t just start a business for personal gain; he consciously designed it to train and employ others.
Ernestob Enterprise, which he founded as a student, today has about 15 employees and regularly organizes skills-training workshops in areas like pastry-making and hat design for local youth. In interviews, Mr. Bonsu has been frank about his broader mission: he wants to help solve Ghana’s youth unemployment challenge by showing peers how to create their own livelihoods.
He even urges young men not to shy away from fields like Home Economics, noting that the subject “could enable one to create his or her own job and also employ others,” turning societal biases on their head. From a university perspective, Bonsu is the exemplar of a multiplier – the kind of graduate who doesn’t just slot into a role, but expands that role into an enterprise that benefits many.
It’s no surprise that UEW’s leadership has held him up as a model. His success is “in line with [UEW’s] call on graduands… to create jobs by themselves”, a challenge laid down by Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni (UEW Vice-Chancellor, 2018–2021) during a graduation ceremony. Bonsu took that call to heart and ran with it.
Today, the once-humble freshman’s initiative is “crystalising into something big in this country,” as one UEW publication put it, with a note of confident optimism.
He is far from the only one. Generations of UEW alumni have ventured into entrepreneurship and trade, often blurring the lines between educator and innovator.
Some launch consultancies in educational technology or open vocational institutes of their own; others go into agribusiness, applying the pedagogical skills from UEW to train farmers in improved techniques.
The underlying theme is that UEW graduates tend to be multipliers: if they see a skills gap, they train others; if they spot a market need, they create businesses that also build capacity in their communities.
This “multiplier mindset” is reinforced by every element of a UEW education, from the mandatory entrepreneurship courses in many programs to the encouragement students get to undertake community projects as part of their coursework.
Broadening Horizons: Public Service and Global Impact
UEW’s influence isn’t confined to schools and startups; it also extends into the highest levels of public service, culture, and international development.
Alumni of this university have proven that a background in education can be an ideal springboard into leadership roles across society.
A notable example is Edward Bawa, who as a student at UEW in the early 2000s became a national student leader and later parlayed that experience into a career in politics. B
awa today serves as a Member of Parliament in Ghana’s legislature, representing the Bongo constituency. His journey – from campaigning in student elections in Winneba to debating policy in Parliament – underscores how UEW instills leadership qualities that translate to governance and civic engagement.
Likewise, Juanita Sallah, another UEW alumna, took her education degree into the realm of media and advocacy.
After honing her communication skills on campus, she became a fierce voice against human trafficking, eventually working as a broadcast journalist and launching her own social impact organization.
“Both Juanita and Edward Bawa are alumni… one in politics, and the other in the media,” a commentator noted, emphasizing that they are just two faces of a much larger phenomenon.
There are “hundreds of Bawas and Juanitas out there” – UEW graduates who have fanned out into various sectors, from public administration to international NGOs, carrying with them the values of service and initiative fostered in Winneba.
Indeed, the history of UEW (and its precursor institutions) boasts some extraordinary names that speak to its broad impact.
One of the colleges that eventually became part of UEW was the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute, originally established in the 1960s to train Pan-African thinkers and activists.
In a fascinating footnote to history, that institute counted among its trainees a young man who would later become one of Africa’s most prominent and controversial leaders: Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Mugabe, years before leading his country, spent time in Winneba imbibing the ethos of self-determination and educational development.
It’s a point of pride locally that “President Robert Mugabe… is an alumnus of this institution,” however indirect the lineage.
The anecdote symbolizes a larger truth: UEW and its forebears have always aimed to produce leaders with continental and global awareness, not just competent professionals for local needs.
This international outlook continues today in UEW’s collaborations and the diverse student body it attracts from across West Africa.
At the same time, UEW remains deeply rooted in serving Ghana’s national interests.
The university frequently partners with government agencies on policy and training. For example, UEW experts contribute to educational policy reforms, curriculum development, and teacher standards that shape the country’s future.
The Ghanaian Ministry of Education has often called on UEW’s faculty for their expertise – a recent governing council inauguration was officiated by the Minister of Education himself, who praised UEW’s integrity and urged it to continue pursuing academic excellence in service of the nation.
And UEW’s impact on public service is also practical: through its distance learning centers and satellite campuses, it provides continuing education to thousands of public sector workers – teachers upgrading their qualifications, administrators earning education degrees, and more.
With over 9,500 students graduating in a single recent congregation ceremony (across diploma, degree, and postgraduate levels), the scale of UEW’s output is vast.
These graduates fan out into every district of Ghana, many taking up roles in civil service, local government, and community leadership, where their training in education, management, or social sciences can directly benefit public administration.
One might say UEW has become to Ghana what a sturdy old oak is to a village – deeply rooted, steadily growing, and providing shelter and sustenance to those around it.
The university’s story is one of resilience and adaptation; it has weathered its share of storms – leadership changes, campus expansions, and even a recent restructuring that carved out a new technical university from its fold – yet through it all, its core mission has only been strengthened.
“Change has been part of us every step of the way,” wrote one observer, noting how UEW evolved from colonial-era colleges into a modern engine of change, “and we hold ourselves as the center of knowledge, teaching and practice.”
This blend of tradition and innovation, local focus and global perspective, is exactly what the times demand. Governments and educators far beyond Ghana’s borders are keenly watching institutions like UEW as models of how to train teachers and leaders who can multiply impact under constrained resources and unique cultural conditions.
An Enduring Legacy of Empowerment
In the grand tapestry of Ghana’s development, the University of Education, Winneba, stands out as a source of steady, trustworthy leadership.
UEW’s graduates are the kind of people who not only get the job done, but also inspire and enable others to do even more.
They are headmasters who mentor a generation of new teachers, scientists who ignite curiosity in villages, entrepreneurs who turn employees into future business owners, and public servants who bring empathy and insight to governance.
The university has achieved this by staying true to a simple but powerful philosophy: education’s ultimate purpose is to transform society, one individual at a time, one community at a time.
As dawn breaks on a future full of challenges – from technological disruption to social change – UEW’s approach offers a hopeful template. It reminds policymakers that investing in education yields leaders who pay the investment forward many times over.
It shows other higher education institutions the value of integrating community service, innovation, and entrepreneurship into their curricula.
And it reassures the people of Ghana that the torch of quality education, lit by pioneers in Winneba, continues to burn brightly, spreading light across the nation and beyond.
In a recent commencement address, Prof. Mitchual captured the moment with words that could serve as UEW’s creed: “As we reflect on the past and look towards the future, let us remember that this ceremony is not an end in itself but a means to an end.
It is the launchpad for new adventures, new challenges and new opportunities to make a difference in communities and beyond.”
The University of Education, Winneba has indeed launched countless such adventures – and through those it will continue, quietly and confidently, to forge the transformative leaders and multipliers of impact that our world so urgently needs.
And that, to borrow a phrase, is “the way it is” in Winneba, Ghana, today.
The writer is a lecturer at the Department of Food and Nutrition Education, Faculty of Health, Allied Sciences and Home Economics Education, University of Education Winneba.
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Source: myjoyonline.com
