GCTU Signs MoU With Kasapreko Company Ltd To Foster Industry-Academia Partnership

In its bid to further strengthen the collaboration between academia and industry, GCTU has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kasapreko Company Ltd. 

The signing ceremony took place at the premises of Kasapreko Company Ltd on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa and the Registrar, Mr. Emmanuel Baidoo signing on behalf of GCTU and the HR Manager, Mr. Solomon Bonnah and the Technical Director, Mr. Ogesi Sylvester, signing on behalf of Kasapreko. 

The agreement aims to provide students with practical experience and foster research collaboration between the two institutions. 

The initiative was sparked by the Acting Dean of the Engineering Faculty, Dr. Ruhiya Abubakar, who took keen interest in replicating the existing partnerships between Kasapreko and the Technical Universities in the country with GCTU. With their doors open, Kasapreko welcomed the discussions leading to the development of the MoU with the active support of the GCTU Liaison office. 

Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor of GCTU, Prof. Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership. He highlighted the university’s commitment to strengthening the engineering faculty and emphasized the importance of hands-on experiences for students.  

“We want to ensure that we strengthen our Engineering Faculty because we are a STEM university. The focus of the government now is largely on STEM establishment and ensuring that all the universities concentrate more on STEM because of the outcomes that we all know. 

“We want to strengthen our engineering team as well. By so doing, we need to have established collaborations with institutions where our students will have hands-on experience while they are in school,” the VC said. 

Prof. Afoakwa, who is also a food scientist, acknowledged the value of practical attachments and internships for students, enabling them to gain real-world knowledge and increase their employability prospects. 

The MoU will primarily focus on engaging engineering students from GCTU, particularly those specializing in electrical and mechanical engineering. Kasapreko, a renowned brewer of a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks using state-of-the-art technology machines, will offer internship opportunities to these students, exposing them to the company’s production processes and management training programmes during their internship and National Service.

The collaboration aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry and foster a talent acquisition strategy for Kasapreko. 

Speaking on behalf Kasapreko Company Ltd, the HR Manager, Mr. Solomon Bonnah, expressed the importance of the partnership, especially in the field of research. He recognized the potential of academic institutions, including GCTU, in proposing solutions to industry challenges and contributing to the growth of the sector. 

The company also announced its intention to extend the incentive packages it offers to the Technical Universities to GCTU. 

“One of the things we also Do to support the students is that we award the best graduating engineering students by giving them some packages: a laptop, a cash prize and a plaque publicly during their graduation, so that the picture is out there that there’s a collaboration Kasapreko has with a particular university,” Mr. Bonnah added. 

The GCTU team made of top Management, the Ag. Dean of the Engineering Faculty, and two representatives from the Industrial Liaison office, was given a tour of the impressive facility to witness firsthand the machinery and technology deployed by the company and the kind of environment students will be learning their ropes in.

Both parties emphasized that the collaboration is a win-win partnership, with GCTU students benefiting from hands-on experience and exposure to cutting-edge technology, while Kasapreko will benefit from research capabilities and innovative solutions proposed by the university’s academic community.

The MoU, while already covering various aspects of collaboration, is open to further expansion in the future, including professional development training for Kasapreko’s staff in specialized areas, provided by GCTU.

Both institutions expressed excitement about the future prospects of their partnership and look forward to the positive impact it will bring to the students, the university, and the industry.