The Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy, Mr. Helge Sander, has said the German government will collaborate with tertiary institutions to develop and upgrade research centers in Ghana.
Developing research centers in the country, he said, would enable the research centers in Germany to reach more Ghanaians who had interest in their exchange programme.
“There are certain projects under discussion to upgrade research institutions here in Ghana with the help of the German partner universities and then indeed to train people here. Because it is cost effective,you can reach more people. People do not need to travel or need accommodation in Germany because they have it here,” he stated.
Mr. Sander was speaking at the opening of an exhibition of “NanoArt From Germany” held at the University of Ghana (UG), Legon in Accra last Monday.
Exhibition
The exhibition displayed research works from the Nano Integration Laboratory of the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany to make Ghanaian students who have interest in research aware of the research opportunities in Germany.
Some of the works showcased included the Nano Stairs, Nano Lasers, Nano Light, Nano Milkyway, Microshellls, Nano Microscope and Nano Wire.
Mr. Sander said the German partner universities were promoting a lot of exchange programmes, especially for Master’s and PhD degrees, explaining that the arts that were displayed were the works of the Master’s and PhD students in Germany.
“We are supporting that in terms of partnerships among institutions and also in terms of individual grants. We are also supporting partnerships that do not take place in Germany but in Ghana, so the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is available for these partnerships to help Ghana or to propel Ghana to a research level, where it can be an eye-to-eye partner on the international scene”, he added.
He also underscored the need to bring in more specified technology in Ghana to facilitate research in varios institutions.
“A lot of technology needs to be brought here and that’s what we are currently working on to bring technology here in UG or to KNUST or UCC with the help of German partner universities, even though some student will still have to go to Germany or any other country,” he said.
Reaching out to students
For his part, the programme Officer at the DAAD, Mr. Felix Barnes, said the “NanoArt From Germany” was to showcase one part of German research to promote German research and to reach more people who were doing their r+postgraduate in Germany.
The exhibition, he indicated, was to also let Ghanaians know about research institutions that were available for them to choose the one they preferred.
Mr. Barnes called on students to apply for the Ghanaian-German training programmes or go through the Scholarship Secretariat to apply for scholarships to study in Germany.
