The Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency Mr. Sugandh Rajaram, has paid a working visit to the University to strengthen the collaboration existing between the High Commission and UCC.
Collaboration
Speaking at a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor, H. E. Mr. Rajaram expressed his preparedness to facilitate direct collaboration between UCC and Universities as well as other corporate organisations in India.
Mr. Rajaram indicated that the Indian High Commission would continue to facilitate scholarship opportunities for Ghanaian students which according to him were limited in scope and a short-term measure. He noted that it was important to establish long-term collaborations that would contribute towards sharing of best practices, experiences, joint research, staff, and student exchanges. “Establishing direct linkages with Universities and organisations in India is the best way to derive maximum benefits for a long period of time,” he recommended.
Partnership
Responding, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Boampong recounted that the Indian High Commission has been a good partner over the years and has sponsored staff and students in the areas of ICT and Forensic Sciences. He said UCC was now pursuing entrepreneurship agenda and, therefore, linkages with Universities and corporate organisations would be highly appreciated.
Prof. Boampong thanked the Indian High Commission in Ghana for the continuous support in diverse ways to the University.
Specialised ICT Programme
The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dora F. Edu-Buandoh, said the University through a special arrangement with the Indian High Commission had rolled out a programme with some Universities to enhance the training of UCC students in specialised areas in ICT. She, however, indicated that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme came to halt. She informed the Indian High Commissioner that the University was looking forward to reactivation of the programme for the benefit of students.
Cyber Security and Digital Laboratory
The Head of the Department of Forensic Sciences, Dr. Richmond Afoakwa, commended the Indian High Commissioner for supporting most of the faculty and students to build their capacities at Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU), in India. He appealed to the Commissioner to assist the University to establish a Cyber Security and Digital Laboratory to enhance the training of students and serve as a strong backbone to Ghana’s agenda to digitise the economy and also fight cyber-crime. He assured that “the University is poised and ready to do what it can to contribute to the establishment of this facility.”
Donation
The Indian High Commissioner later donated a set of books to the Africana Section of the Sam Jonah Library of the University.
Present at the meeting were the Registrar, Mr. Jeff Teye Emmanuel Onyame; Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Prof. Moses Jojo Eghan; Dean of the School of Biological Sciences, Prof. Justice Kwabena Sarfo, Dr. Benjamin Aboagye, Research Assistants, and beneficiaries of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Scholarships.