In April 2007, I did a Post Graduate course in Agricultural Administration (CAA) at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).  GIMPA is situated on a small hill between the University of Ghana, Legon and the Achimota School.  GIMPA is popualarly known as the Green Hill, depicting the greenery scenery and the serene atmosphere on the campus. GIMPA is currently refered to as the most pregressive university in the whole country of Ghana.  I have no data to sGIMPA LabGIMPA LabGIMPA LabGIMPA Labupport this assertion though, but I am inclined to believe it.  I can however say that it has one of the best and most recent facilities that can be found on any university campus in Ghana.  These not withstanding, GIMPA has some very very serious challenges.  Hospitality is a total mess, an opinion shared by many who have currently taken any residential program in GIMPA.  This is however not the mail focus of this story.  Let’s move on then……..

Being a systems person, the first thing I looked for when I got on campus was how I was going to access my mails.  It took me over a week after I had enrolled in my program, to get my ID card, and therefore my student ID.  This ID is one’s passport to any facility on campus.  It took me another one week to get my details in the computer database, which gave me access to computer facilities on campus.  Well at least, I got access to my emails at last.  I wondered why they did not have a centralised computerised system to manage students.  It would have be excellent if after registering with my school (The Public Service School) my date is sent to all relevant sections, without having to manually send the same date to all these sections for inputing.

 GIMPA had about 4 computer labs, not counting the Video Conferencing facilities.  Computers in these labs were some very old pentium III systems with very slow processing speeds.  Although GIPMA has a couple of VSATs, it took almost forever for one to open a web page.  It was even more frustrating if one had to download files bigger that 1 mb.  OS on some of these machines kept on crashing at least twice a day.  Computers in the lecture room were even worse.  Oh, these were even stand alones.  They were not connected to the GIMPA LAN.  Some of these were breeding places for viruses.  This was because each lecturere had to bring his or her own pen drive to use it, hence spreading the viruses.  “A center of Excellence Indeed” were some of the comments you hear on campus at least five times a day.

I came back again this September to do another program and had a pleasant surprise.  The processes have not improved at all.  Again, it took clsoe to 2 weeks to get my ID in the database to enable me access my email.  The shocker was the computer labs.  GIMPA has now set up a huge computer lab with very new computers with flat screens and very high processing speeds.  The old PIIIs in the biggest lab has also been replaced with very new systems.  Of course I have a problem with the network setup, but hey, a very progressive improvement there!!! I am hearing that they are going to replace the systems in all the other labs, and also implement a wi fi system to cover the whole campus.  Hmmm!!! I can’t wait to see that.  I am also told that they are working around the clock to implement a management system that will take care of issues about student registration and others.  I am told the contract has either been awarded already or is about to be awarded.   A Center of Excellent Indeed !!!!!!!.  But I think something serious should be done about Hospitality.  It is really a very dark spot.  More on GIMPA later.  Cheers !!!!

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