The University of Ghana (UG), through its Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID), has launched the UG Start-Up Alumni Network in collaboration with Imperial College, London.
The Network marks a new chapter in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among past participants of the Innovation for African Universities (IAU) programme, which aimed to mobilize students to showcase their entrepreneurial skills.
Speaking to Citi News on Wednesday, Senior Research Development Officer with UG-ORID, Mammie Nyamekye Nortey, explained that the UG Start-Up Alumni Network is designed to provide a platform for continued collaboration, support, and growth of students’ entrepreneurial ventures.
“We realised that there were a lot of people who went through the programme, but when it’s over, what happens? What happens to the ideas if you don’t win? It’s still viable, so the network is a platform where we can continue to support them, and they can continue to tap into the resources that the University has,” she said.
Vice President of Imperial College London, Professor Maggie Dallman, expressed her delight with the progress of the partnership between her institution and UG, announcing plans to set up more innovation hubs in the country in November.
“Our strategy, called the Science of Humanity, contains 9 flagship initiatives that we are committing to, and one of those is Imperial Global, which showcases our work around the globe. I’m really excited to announce that we’re launching a second of these hubs in Ghana in November this year.”
Background:
In 2021, ORID, in partnership with ImpactHub Ghana and Imperial College, began the Student Support Venture Programme. This programme focused on building the capacity of students to transform ideas into viable businesses in teams. The 10-week masterclass programme saw various teams pitching their business ideas, with winners receiving acceleration training.
To ensure that students who had completed the programme stay connected and relevant, the office developed the Start-Up Alumni Network as a connection platform.
Since its inception, the initiative has groomed 303 students comprising 85 teams, each with unique business ideas, from the UG, University of Cape Coast (UCC), and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
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