Famous business magnate Sir Sam Jonah has called on Ghana to urgently re-prioritise Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, stressing that no nation achieves modern prosperity without placing STEM at its core. Speaking at Academic City University’s commencement ceremony on June 7, 2025, Sir Sam, Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), urged Ghana to follow the example of global powerhouses that anchor their development strategies in STEM.
Addressing graduates from a university known for its strong focus on STEM and entrepreneurship, Sir Sam, Executive Chairman of Jonah Capital, emphasized that “the future is not imagined but it is engineered.” He cited compelling international examples:
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China produces over 4 million STEM graduates annually and has a leadership deeply trained in STEM, driving rapid innovation and problem-solving.
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India graduates nearly 3 million STEM students yearly, fueling its dominance in IT services, pharmaceuticals, and space science, with its IT sector contributing over $200 billion to the economy.
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The United States attracts over half of its international students in STEM fields, underpinning Silicon Valley’s innovation ecosystem through government research investment and a culture of innovation.
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Singapore transformed from a resource-poor fishing port to one of the richest countries per capita by investing in STEM since the 1970s, with world-class institutions and a booming electronics industry.
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Israel, despite limited natural resources, became a global leader in tech startups by early STEM investment, producing engineers and computer scientists and attracting substantial venture capital.
In stark contrast, Sir Sam highlighted that Sub-Saharan Africa produces less than 10% of its graduates in STEM, despite having the youngest and fastest-growing population, underscoring the region’s challenge in leveraging its demographic dividend for technological progress.
Reflecting on Ghana’s history, Sir Sam praised President Kwame Nkrumah’s “unmatched foresight” in prioritising STEM education at independence by incentivizing science and engineering students, rewarding graduates with higher public service salaries, and attaching prestige to technical competence as a patriotic duty. However, he lamented that this national focus has waned over time.
Sir Sam called for a decisive return to STEM prioritisation through deliberate actions, including:
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Providing significant financial incentives and scholarships for STEM students.
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Building world-class laboratories in every region to enhance practical learning.
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Rewarding STEM teachers with attractive career paths and public respect.
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Integrating STEM graduates centrally into national development planning, rather than treating them as afterthoughts.
While recognizing the value of all professions, he stressed the urgent need to prioritise STEM. Quoting former Governor Richard Lamm, Sir Sam said, “Nations which train engineers will prevail over those which train lawyers. No nation has ever sued its way to greatness.”
He concluded with a powerful vision: “A nation’s greatness is achieved through technological innovation and expertise, particularly in engineering. Let us be that nation.”
Sir Sam Jonah’s address serves as a clarion call for Ghana to strategically invest in its scientific and technological human capital to secure future prosperity and compete globally.
