PartnerAfrika-Projekt KNUST Organises Project Review Meeting With Arqum and AGI

The PartnerAfrika-Project KNUST organized an end-of-year review meeting with partners from Arqum and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) on 22nd February 2023 at the KEEP Conference Room. 

Present at the meeting were: Felix Nagl and Gina Ditzen, Consultants for Environment and Sustainability, Arqum from Germany, Thompson Appam Attebila, Ashanti, Bono East, and Ahafo Regional Manager, AGI, Daniel Ebo Gyando, Executive Member, AGI with the PartnerAfrika-Projekt KNUST team; Prof. Jerry John Kponyo, Principal Investigator, Mr. Kwadwo Nyantakyi Marfo, Internship Coordinator, Mr. Abraham Yenu Lambon, Accountant, and Gifty Antoinette Hukpati, Communication Officer

Prof. Jerry John Kponyo gave an update on the PartnerAfrika-Projekt from its inception. He said the project's key objectives are to strengthen the organizational structure and improve the service offer of AGI, develop and implement further training and consultation services on sustainable and cleaner production, and develop practical pilot projects in companies to implement good practices. He mentioned the need for students to have internships with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for maximum impact and skill acquisition.

He intimated that KNUST’s structural focus is establishing a training platform with student internship programs. In asserting the progress made, he mentioned the fine planning mission workshop at the early stage of the project, which embodied the discussion of project activities and schedules, significant interim results, assigning responsibilities, and the allocation of personnel, material, and financial resources at KNUST. He also mentioned the project kick-off event, which key KNUST management, College of Engineering leadership and lecturers, Arqum staff, and participating students attended.

He said 420 students applied for the 2022 summer internship program, and 120 were shortlisted. He mentioned that four weeks of robust training sessions were held for the selected applicants, and 86 students took the certification examination, with 58 passing with a minimum score of 50%.

"A 10-week internship program with AGI companies was implemented, and students will be evaluated based on industry projects completed, as well as technical and soft skills acquired," he explained.

During the discussion, the Arqum team noted that almost all of the companies they visited expressed an interest in hiring interns, which they indicated was positive feedback for the project.

Mr. Thompson Appam Attebila, Ashanti, Bono East, and Ahafo Regional Manager, AGI suggested that the project internship phase aligns with the University’s internship schedule. He promised to identify internship slots for a smooth placement process ahead of the internship phase.

The PartnerAfrika-Projekt is within the framework of the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation between Unternehmer Baden-Württemberg e.V. (UBW) and Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana.

The project aims to enable KNUST, AGI, and local partners to offer innovative services to their members (focusing on sustainable production and digitalization), creating jobs and income in the industrial sector, particularly with SMEs.

The PartnerAfrika-Projekt KNUST stakeholders are the KNUST College of Engineering, the Innovation Center, and the KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP).