ACECoR Calls for PhD and Masters Applications
June 11, 2019Workshop on Good Assessment Practices in Higher Education: Aligning Outcomes, Instruction and Assessment
June 18, 2019The Association of African Universities (AAU), the voice of higher education in Africa, has opened its doors to thirty students from various universities in Ghana to undergo a three-month internship programme at its Secretariat, located in Accra, Ghana.
The students, who are currently on vacation, started their practical training through the flagship programme; Graduate Industrial Training and Placement (GITP) under the Youth and Students Affairs. The thirty (30) interns who went through a rigorous interview and selection process begun their training on Thursday, June 6, 2019 and will end it in August 2019.
The key tasks of the interns are among others, to develop a database of research problems dubbed the “African Research Bank” and website for the African Universities Olympics. The African Research Bank will house research needs and problems from industries and key sectors. Its goal is to provide students and researchers with critical research topics, that can help solve practical industrial and societal needs when investigated.
The target of the assignment related to the African Universities Olympics, is to develop a website, market and increase the number of participating institutions at the next event, taking place in August 2020.
Speaking at the orientation programme, Ms. Nodumo Dhlamini, Director of Knowledge Management and ICT Services, and Dr. Violet Makuku, Quality Assurance Specialist emphasized that “Africa is going to be driven by the youth and women” and therefore charged the interns to take the opportunity given them seriously, and give off their utmost best.
She encouraged the interns to network and work in a unified team to achieve set objectives at the end of the three months training.
The interns are being supervised by staff from the Directorate of Research and Academic Planning; Mr. Kwesi Acquah Sam (Team Lead) and Mr. Schenineda Kwaku Ankomah, as well as staff from the Directorate of ICT Services, Communications and Knowledge Management; Mr. Frank Asefuah, Mrs. Felicia Kuagbedzi, Miss Georgina Diana Maison and Mr. Enoch Kpani.
As part of the orientation, the interns were each given a book titled, “Empowering Dreamers to Become Achievers” and encouraged to read it daily, ahead of each day’s tasks. This book, authored by Ramsey Jay Jr, a Wall Street trained Finance Executive is targeted at helping young people to develop an optimistic mindset to achieve more and reach their full potentials.
About the AAU
The Association of African Universities (AAU) is the Voice of Higher Education in Africa, created by African Universities to promote cooperation among them on the one hand, and between them and the international academic community on the other. AAU aims to improve the quality of African Higher Education and to strengthen its contribution to Africa’s development by supporting the core functions of higher educational Institutions and facilitating critical reflection and consensus building on issues affecting African higher education. It was founded in 1967 and currently has over 400 member Universities across Africa.
By: Priscilla Sedinam Djentuh
Communications Intern
Association of African Universities