The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has organised the first International Partners’ Week Celebration on the theme, “Re-examining Our Historical Identity Within the Context of Internationalisation of Higher Education.”
Referred to as “iPart Week 2024,” the event was attended by international partners from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. It aimed at strengthening existing partnerships with global universities, build new connections, and contribute to the advancement of knowledge and collaborations on an international scale.
International students of UCC thrilled the audience with a flag-hoisting performance with recitals about the individual countries.
Call for ‘Glocalisation’
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, Prof. AbdulWahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN
Delivering a keynote address at the opening of iPART Week 2024, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, Prof. AbdulWahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, noted that the whole concept of internationalisation was not an African thing but a global phenomenon.
According to him, though institutions of higher learning should think globally, there should be an urge to act locally.
“I propose glocalization, that is to think globally and act locally, as a way to ensure continuous internationalisation among all people on the globe”, he emphasised.
Prof. Egbewole while charging African universities to be circumspect when signing MoUs to ensure a win-win situation also encouraged governments of African countries to create a framework that would facilitate visa applications for researchers to reduce the hustle of studying abroad.
According to him, African universities had been urged not to restrict internationalisation to the global south only, but also to endeavour to create local partnerships which would ensure the continent's progress.
He also called on African governments to take a conscious and deliberate position on internationalisation while admitting that “Brain drain is not bad in itself because it has positive values for internationalisation”.
Prof. Egbewole encouraged curriculum development and regional collaboration and asked for policy on internationalisation for African countries.
Reposition Internationalisation to Support African Universities
President of Laweh Open University, Prof Goski Alabi
Another keynoter, the President of Laweh Open University, Prof Goski Alabi, who spoke on the topic, “Emerging Trends in Students and Staff Mobility,” indicated that African universities had not been intentional and strategic about internationalisation as compared to the rest of the World. As a result, she asked for measures to reposition internationalisation to support African universities in addressing some of the perennial challenges of access, quality, and low capacities for research and also bring about new research and knowledge paradigms.
She mentioned increased mobility, global curriculum and intercultural competence, technological learning platforms, global rankings and competitions, and language and communication skills, as some of the trends in internationalisation.
Prof. Goski Alabi, speaking on the strategies the global north have developed to attract international students, indicated that the UK under Prime Minister Tony Blair, for example, implemented the Prime Minister's Initiative (PMI) to increase the number of international students coming to the UK for education.
"The goal of the UK was to attract 600,000 international students annually by 2030," she added.
The President blamed African universities' inability to woo international students on a lack of strategic and intentional plans leading to marketing and business-oriented approaches that the Global North East was using to internationalise.
"...Because we don't have a plan, we don't understand the subtle marketing and business-oriented approaches that the global North-East is using to internationalise, especially the introduction of rankings," she added.
Prof. Alabi noted that many countries were merging universities to have research output to be competitive in ranking.
"If your university is small and you cannot produce 200 research papers in index journals, how do you compete favourably?" she questioned.
Prof. Alabi said, "Here in Ghana, we find a situation that every region must have a university and, therefore, we are establishing several small universities that may not be competitive," she added.
UCC Committed to Fostering Internationalisation
Chairing the function, the Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, in a remark, said the 1st International Partners’ Week Celebration was proof of the commitment of UCC to foster internationalisation and ensure a continued relationship with the partner universities.
He acknowledged the representatives of partner universities present at the occasion and added, “Your presence is not just a testament to our shared objectives, but also a crucial step towards strengthening our internationalisation agenda”.
The Director of OIR, Prof. Samuel Bert Boadi-Kusi, in an address, expressed his immense gratitude to the entire university community for their support in the organisation of the programme.
The Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, who was the Guest of Honour at the event, formally opened the international partners’ celebration.
In his remarks, he commended management of UCC for the initiative to host key partners form across the world to explore new collaborations.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC