The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has partnered with Ghanaian universities to attract students from Nigeria and other African countries.
Ghana High Commissioner to Nigeria, Rashid Bawa, who disclosed this at the first GEPA Students’ Recruitment Fair organised in Lagos, in collaboration with 16 Ghanaian universities, said their institutions have distinguished themselves as centres of quality education and learning, and are poised to attract students from all over the world, especially Nigeria.
Bawa, who was represented by the Consul General of Ghana in Lagos, Hajia Samata Bukari, said with a foreign student population of over 5,000, Ghana is positioned to become a Mecca for students from Africa, the Caribbean and other parts of the world.
Bawa added that the advent of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has opened up opportunities for the country to extend its reach beyond traditional markets.
“Accessing this new frontier would require concerted efforts by all players in education. However, I must be quick to add that we can only get to that desired level if we streamline our processes properly, especially the cost structure of fees, accommodation and other tenets of customer service.”
He said the fair was in line with Ghana’s strategic foreign policy, which enjoined the country’s diplomatic missions abroad to promote tertiary and secondary education in host countries; liaise with Ghanaian educational institutions to facilitate admission of foreign students and encourage Ghanaian professionals in the Diaspora to return and support its education system, particularly in areas of science and technology.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, Albert Diwura, said the recruitment fair has developed into the broader framework of the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS), which recognises trade in services as one of the 17 priority sectors for tailored intervention by GEPA and other stakeholders in export trade.
He said non-traditional export currently contributes about $3.33 billion to the total merchandise exports of Ghana, with projected increased earnings in 2022.
“The NEDS, which hinges on three strategic pillars, projects earnings of $25.3 billion by 2029. GEPA is currently implementing the NEDS, with an ongoing district implementation agenda,” he said.
The two-day fair attracted prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students who got on-the-spot information on how to gain admission into Ghanaian institutions.
