Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AKOA Group, a holding company with interests in real estate (Square Mile Homes), entertainment (Mybet.Africa), and beverages (Aqua Blue Mineral Water).

This partnership will offer GCTU students internships and national service opportunities while providing AKOA with essential human capital for its growth. GCTU faculty will also provide advisory services to AKOA.

Alongside the MOU, a 6-month Service Management Advisory Agreement was signed, under which AKOA will donate GHS 12,000 monthly to the Vice Chancellor's Research Support Fund from September 2024 to February 2025. GCTU staff will train AKOA employees and participate in monthly reviews of AKOA's performance.

GCTU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, highlighted the university's strategic transformation and its aim to become a research-intensive institution by introducing new postgraduate and PhD programs.

"We believe that our training should not be focused solely on theory. We are a more practically oriented institution, and that cannot be achieved if we don't manage to bridge the gap between industry and academia," he said.

"So, while we are training our students, they also get the opportunity to engage with the industry, where their services and skills will be needed after school. This hands-on experience prepares them for the world of work."

He also mentioned the "20 by 30 Programme," aimed at mentoring faculty into becoming professors.

"As an institution, if we want to become world-class, we need professors," he stated. "We can only develop professors by giving them the necessary push and support so they can gain the expertise required to help them advance, allowing us to become a world-class institution."

AKOA's General Manager, Mr. James Pobee, expressed excitement about the collaboration, committing to engaging with GCTU faculty and students, including offering practitioner lectures.

"We are very happy and pleased to support the Vice Chancellor's Research Support Fund with the aim of the '20 by 30 Programme,'" he said. "We are committing GHS 12,000 every month to support it."

He continued, "We have over 300 staff and more than 40 outlets across Ghana. We are creating vast opportunities for the Ghanaian youth. We are signing this MOU so that when students graduate, there is an industry waiting for them. The convergence of academia and industry will come to fruition."

The event concluded with a photo session, affirming both parties' commitment to a successful partnership.