At a signing ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshall Frank Hanson, said the partnership would enable the School of Engineering of the university to assist the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) with guest lecturers in Computer and Aerospace Engineering and other allied subjects to strengthen the capacity of personnel.

Air Vice-Marshall Hanson signed on behalf of the Air Force, while the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Samuel Kwame Offei, signed for the university.

Appeal

Air Vice-Marshall Hanson appealed to the university to expand the partnership to include other subject areas.

“Today, our youth are challenged with critical thinking and leadership qualities that will transform our society.

In this regard, I will humbly request that the MoU opens up other opportunities in the Arts, Business and Development Studies for our mutual benefit,” he added.

He commended the university authorities for initiating the agreement and expressed the hope that its outcome would have an impact on the training of both the military and students of the university.

Significance

The Dean of the School of Engineering of the University of Ghana, Professor Boateng Onwona-Agyeman, explained that the agreement was necessary to help the two institutions spell out their respective roles in the partnership.

He observed that even though Ghana’s aerospace industry was young, it had potential for growth, adding that the establishment of the Department of Aerospace Engineering in the university needed such a collaboration to realise its objectives.

“The Department of Aerospace Engineering is charged with the responsibility of training aerospace engineers and this will complement the government’s efforts at making Ghana the hub for aviation training in West Africa,” he said.

Practical training

For his part, Prof. Offei said a key challenge in the Engineering Faculty of the university was the lack of practical experience for students to make them fit for the job market.

He said the agreement would, therefore, allow the GAF to open up its facilities to the faculty to complement the theoretical training offered the students.

He described the agreement as timely, since the university had now introduced Aerospace Engineering programmes.