Integrating sustainability into higher education curricula to strengthen the sustainability-employability nexus via sustainable value chains (SEN-SVCs) in Ghana
*David NanorCorresponding authordavid.nanor@edu.novia.fiDepartment of Technology and SeafaringNovia University of Applied SciencesTurku, 20100, Finland0000-0003-0337-9071View full profile → , Daniel Kweku Ainooson-Noonoodaniel.ainooson-noonoo@ucc.edu.ghDepartment of Mathematics and ICT EducationUniversity of Cape CoastCape Coast, Ghana0000-0003-0016-8236View full profile → , Dzuvor Bright252300448001@paruluniversity.ac.inFaculty of Management StudiesParul UniversityVadodara, Gujarat, 391760, India0009-0001-4944-0985View full profile → , Sushmita Singhsushmita.singh21644@paruluniversity.ac.inFaculty of Management StudiesParul UniversityVadodara, Gujarat, 391760, India0000-0002-6595-4900View full profile →
* Corresponding author · click or hover a name for details
- Received:
- 01 Dec 2025
- Published Online:
- 31 Oct 2026
- Article type:
- Research Article
- Language:
- EN
- Article no.:
- JSMS-1756
- Pages:
- 1173–1184
Abstract
While some Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have started integrating sustainable practices into their training and development strategies to create sustainable value chains, many still find it difficult to justify adopting this emerging approach. This exploratory study asks to what extent sustainability practices are integrated in Ghanaian HEIs and how such integration can support sustainable value chains. Using descriptive analysis of secondary data from the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025 for the four Ghanaian HEIs listed (University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, CSIR-Ghana and University of Cape Coast), we found an average Equality (EQ) score of 38.58 and an average Employability and Opportunity Outcomes (EO) score of 47.30, an EO-EQ gap of 8.7 points, while no Sub-Saharan institution appeared in the global top 200 across the three impact categories. The findings highlight low impact and integration efforts by African HEIs, particularly in Ghana. We therefore recommend training and development programmes for staff, following the framework of our proposed Sustainability-Employability Nexus for Sustainable Value Chains, which requires dedicated effort and resource mobilisation. The findings are limited to four institutions and should not be generalised to all Ghanaian HEIs.
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References
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