President Frank Steinmeier looks on as Prof. Mehler shakes Prof. Dodoo after the signing
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, His Excellency Dr. Frank Walter Steinmeier, has participated in two important activities during his visit to the University of Ghana.
Earlier welcomed by his host, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice-Chancellor, when he called on him at his office, the President witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the University of Ghana with the German Ministry of Education through the Freiburg University for the establishment of the Merian International Centre for Advanced Studies (MICAS) in Africa, in addition to participating in a town hall discussion on African-German relations.
The MoU was signed on behalf of the University of Ghana by Professor Francis Dodoo, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development on one hand, and the German Government by Prof. Andreas Mehler, Director of the Arnold-Bergstraesser Institute, Freiburg University on the other. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana.
In brief welcome and introductory remarks at the well-attended ceremony, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu said the visit was also to afford the German President, the opportunity, and platform to dialogue, interact and more importantly, listen to the views of students regarding the current Ghana-Germany partnership and how the future partnership between Africa and Europe should develop. The Vice-Chancellor expressed confidence in the students’ ability to proffer proactive and candid views that would shape and strengthen EU-Africa relations, as well as deepen the collaboration and partnership between Germany and Ghana.
Director of the Institute of African Studies, Professor Dzodzi Tsikata who played a significant role in the bid for the establishment of MICAS at the University of Ghana, said the MOU marked a notable landmark in the partnership between Ghanaian and German scholars to create a Centre which bridges the knowledge divides between Africa and the world. She expressed the University’s gratitude to the German Ministry of Education and Research for selecting UG’s bid to host MICAS, the first African Centre for Advanced Studies outside South Africa.
Professor Andreas Mehler, Director of the Arnold-Bergstraesser Institute, Freiburg University said he was delighted at the launch of the Centre at the premier University. He expressed profound gratitude to University management, the German Embassy, especially Ambassador Christoph Retzlaff and his staff, and the German Ministry of Education and Research for their diverse support in making this a reality. He further noted that sustainable governance being the key area for MICAS will put research in the Humanities and Social Sciences on a new internationally recognized level.
In what was a keen competition against five other consortia built around other highly ranked African universities in Bonn on Sept 11th, 2017, University of Ghana's consortium out-competed them to emerge the winner.
The Centre will receive almost 20 million Euros over the next 11 years.
The establishment of MICAS at the University of Ghana is expected to serve as a Centre for high-quality evidence-based research in areas of democratic governance, conflict management and sustainable development for the entire continent. It would also activate high potentials in people while fostering collaborations among African and non-African researchers.
Panelists for the Townhall discussion with faculty and students were His Excellency Dr. Frank Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Professor E. Gyimah-Boadi, the Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Madam Lucy Quist, the Co-Founder of Executive Women’s Network and Mr. Franklin Cudjoe, the Founding President of IMANI-Ghana.
The town hall discussion was moderated by the Director of the Centre for European Studies, Prof. Ransford Gyampo.
The interactive section sought to answer questions relating to how EU-Africa relations could be strengthened as well as what Germany could do to strengthen its ties with Ghana. Issues of Migration, Education, Health, Youth Empowerment, Trade, and Investment, the need to promote European Studies among African Students, Good Governance, and Employment were the central themes that dominated the discussion.
Giving the vote of thanks, the Registrar, Mrs. Mercy Haizel-Ashia conveyed the University’s appreciation to the German President for honouring the University of Ghana with his visit. She said the establishment of MICAS at the University of Ghana was a strong endorsement of the University’s capabilities as a center of excellence for cutting-edge research as the University strives to be a world-class Institution.
Accompanying the President's delegations were the Honourable Minister for Environment Science and Technology, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng and Ambassador Christoph Retzlaff, German Ambassador to Ghana. University Officials, faculty and students from the Centre for European Studies of the College of Humanities and other guests attended the ceremony.
