The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has said it is committed to collaborating with Academia to ensure quality production of human resources to support the transformation of industry.
This comes at the back of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) being signed by AGI with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to renew its long-standing partnership with the university.
The Ashanti, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Chapter of the AGI hopes its continuous collaboration with the university will offer opportunity to ‘churn out’ students who not will only meet the needs of industry but also support its growth.
At the meeting with the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST to reaffirm this commitment, the Chairperson of AGI for Ashanti, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions, Mrs. Afua Gyafua Owusu-Akyaw, said their cooperation with KNUST dates back to 2007.
She noted that given the continual changes which occur in the world of work, it becomes important to periodically re-engage with Academia to ensure that Industry will be in a position to offer ‘practical support’ training for students.
Against this backdrop, she said, among others, that for the industry to also grow there should be ‘practical-technical development’ – hence the reason to enhance the existing collaboration.
The Vice-Chairman of AGI, Mr. Kwasi Nyamekye, said the AGI is ready to support KNUST in practicing the researched work of the university. He said his company is already hosting two post-graduate students and is prepared to accept more students to support their practical study.
The AGI seeks to know and understand what is being researched at the university in order to help make it practicable, he stated.
He said: “The collaboration has to inspire the ‘can-do spirit’ in students to take up some practical challenges which we normally bring expatriates to address”.
The AGI is hopeful that signing the MoU will help them avail companies to KNUST for internships and practical training. They however called on lecturers at the university to also periodically engage AGI members and help them address some technical challenges if need be.
The Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, in her welcome remarks lauded the AGI-KNUST collaboration.
She said, since she took office, one of the pillars that the university has been looking at is innovative research and how impactful the research projects are. She added that the AGI’s support will be very much required in this endeavour.
She expressed hoped that the collaboration can facilitate at least two meetings yearly to discuss the impact of research on industry. Such a meeting would enable discussions and draw some inputs from the AGI into the university’s curriculum development, which she added is reviewed every 5 years.
