Nine public universities in Ghana and 25 French universities signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently in France to co-operate in research studies in various fields, as well as exchange their findings.
In addition, students from Ghanaian universities and their French counterparts would have the opportunity to engage in studies and visits aimed at increasing student mobility and the exchange of lecturers.
For instance, during the 2012-2013 academic year, the mobility of Ghanaian students in France, especially at the Bachelor and Master’s levels, stood at 268.
Conference
According to a statement signed by Mrs Delphine Adenot-Owusu, Press Officer of the Embassy of France in Ghana, the first Ghana Information Day cum the second Ghana /France Higher Education Conference, which took place in Paris on June 10 and 11, 2014, was to develop partnerships between French and Ghanaian universities and facilitate student mobility. It was organised by the Embassy of France in Ghana and the Ghana Association of Vice Chancellors, in collaboration with the Institut Français of Ghana, Campus France and the Conference of French University Presidents.
Delegation
The French Ambassador to Ghana, Frédéric Clavier, the Head of the Co-operation and Cultural Service, Paulo Paris, representatives of the French universities and a Ghanaian delegation attended the first Ghana Information Day cum the second Ghana France Higher Education Conference.
The Ghanaian delegation was led by the President of the Ghana Association of Vice Chancellors, Prof Ernest Aryeetey, who is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, and was composed of 25 representatives of nine public universities and related organisations, including Ashesi University College, GIMPA, the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and GetFund.
At the Alliance Française of Paris, the representatives of French higher educational institutions presented the recent developments in the Ghanaian higher education system.
Opportunities
It also offered the opportunity for the delegations to strengthen co-operation between the two countries as the 25 French universities held discussions with representatives of the nine public universities in Ghana.
During the second day at the Conference of the University Presidents, Ghanaian and French universities had the opportunity to discuss, among others, the creation of three doctoral schools in Ghana, joint programmes and recognition of diplomas, issues in education and e-learning, and the teaching of French in Ghanaian universities.
GIMPA and ENA, a French university signed an MoU to develop their co-operation in the field of Public Administration as the Ghanaian delegation visited Sciences Po Paris, (an engineering school), University Paris 8, and Dassault Systems in the field of digital education.
The University of Development Studies, (UDS) Tamale, made a two-day study visit to Sup Agro in Montpellier, where an MoU had been signed in 2013, while the KNUST delegation visited the University Paris Sud, and University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) visited the French High School of Public Health in Paris.
According to the French Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Frederic Clavier, higher education and research are the priority sectors of French co-operation in Ghana.
Source: Daily Graphic
