In furtherance to an invitation extended to His Royal Majesty, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in May last year during the much-touted Memphis in May festival, the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat subsequently under the guidance of Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, former Education Minister, took the necessary steps by securing an MoU with the University of Memphis.
I am happy to report that last week, an MoU was successfully signed between the two institutions.
It is important to underscore that the city of Memphis is the headquarters of so many globally acclaimed companies such as Fed Ex, Autozone, Sedgwick Jone Incorporated, International Paper, Baptist Memorial Healthcare, First Horizon National Incorporated (NYSE: FHN) and Mueller Industries.
What this means is that academia and industry will gradually be bridged as these companies will provide essential Internship programmes for Ghanaian students. Discussions between these companies and the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat have started.
As the head of the Ghanaian delegation, I commended the Asantehene for brokering such an important deal for Ghanaian students and assured the University of Memphis that both countries will mutually benefit from this deal.
The Ghanaian entourage also included Richard Gyamfi (Head of International Relations & Partnerships) Janet Koranteng (Head of Treasury, Ghana Embassy, Washington D.C.), and Nana Owiredu Wadie (Member, Scholarship Review Committee).
The University of Memphis was represented by Dr. Abby L Parril (Interim Provost), Raaj Kurapati – (Executive Vice President and Chief Operating & Financial Officer), Dr Balaji Krishnan (Vice Provost), and International Affairs Mrs. Rebecca Laumann, M. Phil., – Executive Director, Center for International Education Services.
