Introduction
The teaching and research foci of Department of Agribusiness are listed below
- Small Farm Management Systems
- Entrepreneurship
- Market Development and Analysis
- Rural and SME Finance
- Value Chain Development and Analysis
- Agricultural System
- Administration of Agricultural Market Systems
- Impact Assessment and Evaluation of Agricultural Programmes, Projects and Policies
- Agricultural Policy Analysis
- Agricultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis
- Agricultural Marketing and Trade Policies
- Agricultural Project Management
- Agricultural Innovation Management
Programmes in the Department of Agribusiness
BSc. Agribusiness
The B.Sc. Agribusiness programme is designed to equip students with a solid foundation in basic science, which is crucial for understanding agricultural principles. The curriculum further integrates this scientific knowledge with elements of extension, economics, business, and management. The goal is to give students a holistic understanding of the agricultural sector from a business perspective.
The objectives of the B.Sc. Agribusiness programme include the following:
- To produce the manpower required to promote agribusiness in all aspects of the agricultural industry since that has been recognized as a main drawback to the modernization of agriculture.
- To provide opportunities for the youth to be trained holistically as agribusiness professionals so that they can establish agribusinesses and be job creators rather than job-seekers.
- To institute outreach agribusiness programmes to promote agribusinesses in Ghana as a whole.
- To source funds for the institution (UDS) by producing innovative programs that will be of interest to funding agencies.
Prospects for Graduates of B.Sc. Agribusiness Programme
There are a variety of job opportunities available from both public and private sector agencies. Graduates of the program are likely to work in the following fields:
Government sectors:
- Ministry of Food and Agriculture subsectors (Crop, Livestock, Aquaculture)
- Ghana Cocoa Board
- Tree Crop Development Authorities
- Ministry of Trade and Industry
- Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies
International Organizations
- United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
- African Development Bank (AfDB)
- World Bank and International Monetary Fund
- Financial institutions
- Insurance companies
Academia and Research Institutions
- Universities
- Polytechnics
- Secondary schools
- Research institutions (e.g., Crop and Animal research institutions)
Local Industries and International NGOs
- Farm managers in commercial farms
- Livestock farms
- Agro-processing firms (e.g., juice factories)
- Agricultural product marketing firms
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
- Policy and Advocacy organizations
- NGOs
- CBOs
MSc Agribusiness (sandwich)
The ultimate objective of the MSc Agribusiness (sandwich) programme is to train agribusiness professionals who understand and are capable of supporting the agribusiness sector's growth and development. In this regard, the curriculum for the MSc in Agribusiness (sandwich) program have been designed to achieve a balance of academic knowledge and practical skill development, resulting in competent agribusiness professionals with the ability to establish and manage agribusinesses. It would prepare students to acquire technical knowledge in accordance with national policies in the agricultural and food industries.
The programme seeks to achieve the following objectives:
- Equip students with the knowledge and skill required to manage agri-food enterprises and supply chain management
- Equip students with practical knowledge and problem-solving skills required to make them successful managers in the agribusiness sector.
- Give opportunities for students to develop critical understanding of the current policy debate on economic transformation through agribusiness sector development.
- Assist students to identify and analyze different theoretical models of international trades in light of ‘real world’ situations as well as assess the impact of regional integration and multilateral arrangements in agricultural commodity marketing.
- Train students to understand research methodology techniques into rural agribusiness and agriprinuerial development in both domestic and international arena.
MPhil Agribusiness
The MPhil Agribusiness programme is a hands-on course that combines intensive coursework with a research component. It aims to equip graduates with a unique mix of theoretical concepts, practical training, and research skills to manage agri-food industries. The program is designed to align students’ technical knowledge with national policies in the agricultural industry.
The specific objectives of the MPhil Agribusiness are as follows:
- Train students capable of supporting the growth and development of the Agribusiness sector
- Equip students with the research capacity and analytical competencies required to understand and address constraints in the agribusiness sector.
- Equip students with the skills and tools required to understand and facilitate policy discourse, policy formulation and implementation.
- Train students to gain monitoring and evaluative research skills in the agricultural and food industry.
Prospects for Graduates of MSc/MPhil programmes
Graduates of the MSc/MPhil programmes will be particularly useful in the under-listed public, industry and academic fields:
Public Sector
- Teach in various tertiary training institutions such as Universities, Colleges of Education and Colleges of Agriculture
- Work as researchers in local and international institutions such as CSIR (Savannah Agricultural research institute, Cocoa research institute, Crop research institute, Science and Technology Policy Research Institute) etc., National Development Planning Commission, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Ghana Statistical Service, (IFPRI), etc.
Private sector
- Local and International financial institutions such as the Agricultural Development Bank, Ghana Commercial Bank, the World Bank, the African Development and the International Finance Corporation, micro-finance institutions, investment and asset management institutions, etc.
- Agro-based industries such as manufacturing and processing companies (Unilever, Cocoa processing company, Olam, AVNASH etc), production (e.g. Commercial poultry farms, high value horticultural export production value chain etc)
- Local and international NGOs with agricultural oriented projects such as the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) USAID ADVANCE, USAID FINGap, ACDI VOCA etc.
PhD Agribusiness
The main objective of the PhD Agribusiness programme is to deepen the research capacity and analytical competencies of agribusiness professionals in the agribusiness sector.
Specifically, PhD Agribusiness programme seeks to achieve the following objectives:
- Emphasize independent, high-quality, and specialized research in order to enable agribusiness experts to contribute in-depth to the growth and development of the agribusiness sector.
- Equip students with skills and tools required to understand and facilitate policy formulation and implementation.
- Contribute to industry knowledge by facilitating quality research in agribusiness and related sectors.
Prospects for Graduates of PhD Agribusiness
Graduates of the programmes will be particularly useful in the under listed public, industry and academic fields:
Public Sector
- Teach in various tertiary training institutions such as Universities, Colleges of Education and Colleges of Agriculture
- Work as researchers in local and international institutions such as CSIR (Savannah Agricultural research institute, Cocoa research institute, Crop research institute, Science and Technology Policy Research Institute) etc., National Development Planning Commission, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Ghana Statistical Service, (IFPRI), etc.
Private sector
- Local and International financial institutions such as the Agricultural Development Bank, Ghana Commercial Bank, the World Bank, the African Development and the International Finance Corporation, micro-finance institutions, investment and asset management institutions, etc
- Agro-based industries such as manufacturing and processing companies (Unilever, Cocoa processing company, Olam, AVNASH etc), production (e.g. Commercial poultry farms, high value horticultural export production value chain etc)
- Local and international NGOs with agricultural oriented projects such as the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) USAID ADVANCE, USAID FINGap, ACDI
