The Management of the University for Development Studies (UDS) on Monday, August 12,2024, received a delegation from the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to discuss modalities for potential partnership between the two institutions to help enhance skills of students of the university.

The meeting which was held in the Pro-Vice-Chancellors Office sought to offer opportunities to students of the university to be enrolled on UNCDF career development training initiative. This training programme will provide students with relevant ICT and AI skills to enable them navigate successfully into the fast-paced technological era. The partnership also aims at enhancing students’ employability in a current competitive job market.

Speaking on the mandate and activities undertaken by UNCDF, Ms. Maame Yaa Owusu-Amoah who is the Digital Ecosystem Specialist at UNCDF indicated that access to finance, support to SMEs are services they provide. They also support initiatives that offer employment opportunities to graduates and institute coordinating mechanism that closes the gap between universities and private industries.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Elliot H. Alhassan speaking on behalf of the University Management, expressed keen interest in the partnership and provided insight on the university’s plans to introduce more academic programmes and called on the leadership of the UNCDF to extend the partnership package to cover more of the qualified students from other faculties that were not included in the original scope.

Mr. Sang Young Juny, Monitory, Evaluation and Learning Specialist at the UNCDF also emphasized on their commitment to provide opportunities to students, nurture their entrepreneurship skills, and collaborate with industries to secure appropriate avenues for them to thrive. He added that the organization supports and monitors progress on student’s entrepreneurship drives. Mr. Juny called on the University Management to provide them with the needed support to improve on the implementation of the policy.

The UNCDF works in partnership with United Nations, the European Union (EU), and the International Business Machines (IBM) on various study areas and offer students with the opportunities to learn and explore in their areas of interest areas.

The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Eliasu Alhassan, the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Dr. Eliasu Mumuni, the Head of Counselling Unit, Dr. Amos Alale and the Head of the Communication, Innovation and Technology Department, Dr. Mohammed Abdulai, all expressed their support for the partnership and indicated  some ongoing initiatives their respective outfits are undertaking to enhance the digital skills of students in the university.

The meeting concluded with a commitment on both parties to work at drafting a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will outline the scope, objectives and roles of the partnership.