The University of Ghana became one of the University of Bonn’s six strategic partner universities in 2020. This first official delegation visit since forging of the strategic partnership served to intensify and expand cooperation between the two universities through a number of strategic talks with members of the Rectorate and University of Bonn researchers.
These talks concerned among other things plans for larger projects to be conducted jointly by the Center for Development Research (ZEF) and the University of Ghana. The delegation also discussed the latest developments regarding the recently launched joint student exchange program with the International Office of the University of Bonn. The partner universities agreed on the framework for the Katekisama joint teaching program to be headed by University of Bonn Assistant Professor Maximilian Mayer, for which the Center for Migration Studies in Accra and the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) in Bonn signed a Collaborative Teaching Agreement.
A panel discussion on migration was also on the agenda, at which the African perspective was presented by Professor Mary Setrana, Director of the University of Ghana Centre for Migration Studies. Professor Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development, talked about the University of Ghana and collaboration with the University of Bonn, addressing an international audience at the Global Fair—an event highlighting the University of Bonn’s international partnerships, with a special focus on partner countries Ghana and Brazil. The visitors from Accra found the Global Fair most interesting, where numerous cooperation projects with both Ghana and Brazil were presented as well as scholarship and fellowship opportunities for students and postdocs.
“Stepping up our cooperation with the globally prominent University of Ghana is a key step within our internationalization strategy as part of broader efforts to engage with the ‘Global South,’” commented Professor Birgit Ulrike Münch, University of Bonn Vice Rector for International Affairs. “Our interactions with the delegation from Ghana opened up highly concrete prospects for further expanding partnership between our universities, regarding the (successfully acquired) DAAD centers, the Center for Development Research and research alliances on heritage and ethics, to name a few examples. Beyond expanding successfully working existing offerings to include other academic fields, entirely new projects are on the table as well, including closer administrative cooperation, such as in university communications.”
The members of the University of Ghana delegation were Professor Eric Osei-Assibey, Dean of the International Programmes Office, Pascaline Songsore, Senior Assistant Registrar and Professor Mary Setrana, Director of the Centre for Migration Research, in addition to delegation leader Professor Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development.
Further information:
Vice Rectorate for International Affairs
Prof. Dr. Birgit Ulrike Münch
Prorektorat.internationales@uni-bonn.de
