This year’s number of beneficiaries of the EU's Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree initiative is an increase over the 21 people who participated in the programme in 2020 and the 35 who benefitted last year.

Pre-departure

At a pre-departure session for the beneficiaries in Accra yesterday[August 23, 2022], the EU Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaaly, said studying in a multi-cultural environment was a life-changing experience that would open the minds of the students and also enrich their lives.

He congratulated the awardees on going through the competitive selection process.

“This year, we have selected more students from Ghana than ever. This is a demonstration of the partnership between Ghana and the EU; we want more Ghanaian students in European universities,” the Ambassador added.

He said other opportunities that existed in European universities included vocational training and Doctor of Philosophy programmes.

Mr Razaaly said the Erasmus initiative, which is in its 35th year, was one of the most successful European programmes in the world.

The programme, he said, also aimed at creating bonds among people from various continents and countries.

The Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Ghana, Peter Smith, charged the students to take advantage of the opportunity to excel in their respective programmes.

Mr Smith, who was a beneficiary of the Erasmus programme some 22 years ago, congratulated the beneficiaries on their hard work.

Advice

The Technical Adviser to the Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr Bello Bello Bitugu, advised the students to focus on their studies and take advantage of the opportunity offered them to perform well.

The Director of Programmes at the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Dr Imrana Mohammed, urged the beneficiaries to conduct themselves well and come back to inspire their peers at home.

The President of the Ghana branch of the African Students and Alumni Forum, Felix Kwabena Donkor, said the scholarship was a chance for the beneficiaries to network with people from other countries.

Appreciation

One of the beneficiaries, a product of the University of Ghana, Anna Baaba Jacobs, on behalf of her fellow beneficiaries, expressed appreciation to their benefactors for selecting them for the programme.

She gave an assurance that they would give of their best at the various universities to justify the investment being made in them.

The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree is part of the EU’s flagship educational training programme that supports education, training, youth and sports.

It aims at fostering quality enhancement, innovation, excellence and internationalisation of higher educational institutions.