Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Higher Education Mission Visits UG
To boost support for internationalisation in higher education, a delegation from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) led by Dr. Rajesh Pankaj, Director and Head of Education & Skills, visited the University of Ghana to explore potential strategic alliances and innovative partnerships.
The Federation, the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India which represents a broad spectrum of industries and institutions is dedicated to fostering economic growth and development through strategic partnerships.
In welcoming the delegation on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro Vice-Chancellor, RID, emphasised the importance of the visit, citing the launch of the new Strategic Plan (2024–2029), the Research Policy, the Internship Policy and other policies that align with FICCI's mission.
As part of the collaboration, he also stressed the importance of developing the capacity of non-academic staff to empower them to provide the needed support to the various collaborative projects.
Dr. Pankaj asserted that ‘FICCI has been working closely with the federal and provincial government, multilateral and bilateral organisations, by helping them understand the higher education landscape of India, identifying the bottlenecks, impediments that exist and from time to time, give recommendations and suggestions to stakeholders, including government and other international organisations, so that the whole ecosystem of higher education is taken to the next level.’
Speaking to UG’s Public Affairs News Desk, Dr. Pankaj stressed that ‘FICCI’s focus and idea is to understand the Ghanaian higher education landscape, particularly University of Ghana’s academic offerings, areas of focus and strength.”
He added that this will help the visiting Indian higher education leaders suggest and share best practices, their success stories and areas of interest.
He explained further that through the interactions, a mutually beneficial engagement framework could be worked out in the areas of research, faculty and student mobility, dual and joint degree training programmes, among others.
Dr. Pankaj pledged FICCI’s commitment to take the discussions to the next level in an effective and efficient manner.
"Building on today's discussion, we have gained a thorough understanding of the University of Ghana's strategic priorities for the next five years. We will now identify specific areas of interest for the Indian institutions that visited today, to pursue with the University of Ghana,’’ he explained.
Members of the visiting FICCI delegation took turns to speak about their institutions and areas for possible collaboration with UG.
The meeting was moderated by Ms. Pascaline Songsore, Senior Assistant Registrar, Public Affairs Directorate.
Meetings with faculty and staff at the departmental level were held later, on specific areas for partnership.
Established in 1927, FICCI has been working in the area of policy, advocacy and thought leadership across various sectors.