By Stanley Senya
Accra, Nov. 19, GNA – The Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft Skills for Jobs, Osoo Africa and Raycom Technologies to enhance digital skills and employability among Ghanaian students and professionals.
The agreement, signed in Accra formalizes a collaboration that will bring the Microsoft Skills for Jobs Microdegree Programme to Ghana.
A statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the programme, funded by the European Union, would facilitate training, certification and job placement opportunities in high-demand areas like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and coding.
Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, the Vice-Chancellor of GCTU, said “This relationship will benefit both our students and faculty, and we anticipate further opportunities for collaboration with our international partners, particularly through student exchange programmes and joint research in information technology.”
He said in terms of IT, GCTU was the University of choice, with even lecturers from institutions like the University of Ghana and KNUST joining their Ph.D. programmes in computer science and IT.
Mr. Sayed Jawed, the CEO of the Microsoft Skills for Jobs Microdegree Programme, said there were plans to expand the collaboration.
“Early next year, we will bring a delegation from KAMK University, Finland and Microsoft to GCTU to explore affiliation agreements, potentially paving the way for student exchanges between Ghana and Finland,” Mr. Jawed said.
The initiative aims to create pathways for Ghanaian students to gain international experience and for GCTU to host Finnish students, fostering cross-cultural learning.
It said a significant component of the agreement involved collaborating with local banks to provide financial aid, enabling students to finance their studies through micro-loans.
He said with these options, students could pay the programme fee in monthly installments, making it accessible to a broader audience.
“This programme is designed to prepare students, recent graduates, freelancers and IT professionals for global job opportunities. We aim to certify 286,000 students by 2026, with 60,000 of those certifications coming from Ghana,” he added.
He said the signing of this MoU was coming at a time when IT skills were increasingly essential for employability and economic growth.
Mr. Jawed said, “Through this collaboration, Ghanaian students and professionals will have the opportunity to acquire sought-after skills, with their information shared with 32,000 IT companies across Europe, thus opening doors to international job placements.”
Ms Maame Efua Essell, CEO of Osoo Africa, expressed optimism about the programme’s impact on students’ career prospects.
She said as part of the agreement, GCTU’s graduate students would be required to complete the Microdegree programme as an additional qualification, adding greater value to their master’s degrees.
Attendees from GCTU included the Registrar, Mr. Emmanuel Baidoo, Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Information Systems (FoCIS), Dr. William Lesley Brown-Acquaye and a lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Samuel Akwasi Danso.
The partners were represented by the CEO of Microsoft Skills for Jobs Microdegree Programme, Mr. Sayed Jawed, CEO of Osoo Africa, Maame Efua Essell and the Solution Consultant from Raycom Technologies, Mr. Ben Atitsogbui.
GNA