Ofori-Atta says gov’t will merge GIJ, NAFTI and GIL

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, has revealed that the government has started the processes involved in merging 3 public tertiary institutions into one university.

Mr Ofori Atta added that the merged university will be called the National Institute of Communication and Media Arts.

He made this disclosure when he presented the 2019 budget statement to the Members of Parliament on Thursday (November 15, 2018).

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He indicated that stakeholder consultations will start and the necessary regulatory bill will also be put together next year.

“Mr. Speaker, processes have also commenced to merge the Ghana Institute of Languages, National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) and Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) into the National Institute of Communication and Media Arts. In 2019, the necessary regulatory bill will be put together with stakeholder consultations,” he said.

Mr. Ofori-Atta explained to the Parliamentarians that the decision to consolidate the three public institutions is as a result of government’s commitment to expand tertiary education opportunities to meet increasing demand and the skill needs of the country.

The GIJ and NAFTI run degree and post-graduate programmes while GIL runs professional and HND programmes. All three tertiary institutions are under the Ministry of Education.

Of the three institutions, only GIJ has been granted a Presidential Charter to award its own degrees, diplomas, and certificates for programmes accredited by the National Accreditation Board, while NAFTI does so due to its affiliation with the University of Ghana.