The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) under the auspices of the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria organized a two-day International Students Recruitment Fair from 17th -18th October 2022 at the Providence Hotel, Ikeja-Lagos with the theme, “Providing Quality and Affordable Education to ECOWAS and beyond.”
15 reputable Ghanaian universities comprising both public and private universities were in attendance and they were: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Ghana, KAAF University College, Kumasi Technical University, Webster University, Accra Technical University, WISCONSIN International University College, University of Health and Allied Sciences, University for Development Studies, Central University, University of Energy and Natural Resources, JACCD Design Institute Africa, Valley View University, Ghana Christian University College and Academic City University College.
Dr. Daniel Opoku (Senior Lecturer, Electrical and Electronics Engineering) and Gifty Antoinette Hukpati (Communication Officer, KNUST Engineering Education Project) represented KNUST and the College of Engineering at the fair.
The KNUST team introduced participants to the colleges and faculties in KNUST and the specific programmes offered in the College of Engineering. Most students and parents inquired about the various programme requirements, cut off points and international student’s fees.
Over 300 students cutting across public and private secondary schools as well as parents participated in the fair. Ferscoat International School, Kings College, Queens College, STT Regency College, Methodist Girls’ High School, Greatness Garden College, Lesland College among other schools were present. They took turns to engage with the universities at their individual stands and had fruitful discussions with each institution present.
In the opening ceremony, the Deputy CEO of GEPA, Albert Kassim Diwura said Ghana has a comparative advantage to position itself in the area of education service export to Africa. He stated that universities present have the opportunity to attract more students into Ghana and to form linkages and partnerships with their counterparts in other parts of Africa.
“That is why GEPA recognizes the need to work closely with the universities to position education as an exportable offer in the non-traditional export basket. It is for this reason that GEPA is working with our mission here in Nigeria to coordinate the participation of tertiary institutions in the 2022 Lagos International Students Recruitment Fair, “he revealed.
He mentioned that the recruitment fair also strategically aligns with and cascades into the broader framework of the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS). The NEDS recognizes trade in services as one of the 17 priority sectors for tailored intervention by GEPA and other stakeholders in export trade. He added that trade in services has become the catalyst for growth for many economies.
“Greater trade in services represents largely, a growth in economic development and points to a gradual paradigm shift from primary production to other areas of economic activity,” he concluded.
Hajia Samata Gifty Bukari, Consul General to Lagos who represented the Ghana High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Rashid Bawa said the Ghana High Commission in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos have, over the years, been assisting various institutions of higher learning in reaching out to prospective students in Nigeria to study in Ghana.
“These efforts have largely contributed to the large number of Nigerians in various Ghanaian educational institutions from primary to tertiary,” she said. She added that the fair provides an opportunity to answer questions on the spot on how to gain admission into the institutions of higher learning in Ghana.
She commended GEPA for this initiative, which seeks to position education as a veritable export offer in the national export basket. “I urge the universities present to take advantage of this opportunity to establish some relationships with the schools participating in this fair. As government outfits, we are happy to provide you with all the support needed for you to succeed,” she added.
