By Deborah Asantewaah SARFO
Students of the Accra Technical University (ATU) who double as the third cohort of the Junior Consultants (JCs) have developed innovative solutions for three associations within the export value chain, addressing some challenges identified in the sector.
The innovative solutions developed by students include a website to connect (SHEPAG) to the European market, a mobile application for managing the input system of the Association of Sweet Potato Exporters and Producers of Ghana (ASPPEG) and a digital inventory system for the Sea- Freight Pineapple Exporters of Ghana (SPEG).
The FlexLab JCs Roadmap Show was coordinated by the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade, and Services (BGA) to provide students with digital skills to make them employable after school.
Hannah Schlingmann of AFOS expressed her outfit’s excitement about being part of the project and also launched the fourth cohort of the JCs initiative.
Both the BGA and the AFOS Partnership projects are supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) within the framework of the Special Initiative “Decent Work for a Just Transition” via sequa gGmbH.
The Vice Chancellor of ATU, Amevi Acakpovi, extolled the achievements of the institution in recent times after being converted from a polytechnic to a technical university.
He commended their German partners for their support and assistance in developing the solutions adding that reports read from the solutions developed by students are either comparable or better than existing ones.
He therefore concluded that seeing students of ATU addressing challenges of industries with digital solutions “is a dream come true”.
Professor Ernest Winful, the lead for the JCs initiative noted that the concept of employability, as introduced through the JC program, represents a vital stepping stone for the youth and graduates in navigating the complexities of the job market.
He added that the initiative which took students about three months from ideation to final output is intricately linked to ATU’s FlexLab model, designed to empower graduates and youth with the necessary digital skills that will enable them to transition successfully into the international workforce.
“Our centre is committed to providing our learners not only with theoretical knowledge but also with practical exposure to real-world industry challenges. Through our program, we link our Learners with these challenges, allowing them to develop viable solutions that enhance work
Prof. Winful noted that seeing students of ATU developing solutions to address challenges of industries “is a dream come true”.
Students who participated in the fourth edition of JCs indicated that the project has been impactful and has honed their digital skills.
A member of SPEG and ASPEG, Emmanuel Koranteng, gave positive feedback about the digital solutions, expressed his readiness to utilise them and urged more companies to work with the JCs students.
“The innovations by the students are very good and I am a beneficiary of one of the digital solutions presented. I will use digital solutions and assist them in working on newer versions. More people should be looking to work with JCs students on creating such smart solutions,” he said.
The BGA project combines export-value chains with the implementation of digitalised business models.
