Professor John Gyapong receives SEED Delegation

Professor John Gyapong addressing the delegation

A three member delegation from the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (SEED) led by Dr. Tralance Addy has paid a working visit to the University to explore opportunities for collaboration. The visit was to discuss an initiative by SEED which aimed at addressing issues of poverty through the creation of economic opportunities that reach and benefit those who live under such circumstances. The idea is to work with educational institutions and the private sector in creating employment through innovation, entrepreneurship and scale with specific impact in the sectors of health care, food and nutrition, education, water, energy and ICT.

Receiving the delegation, the Acting Vice Chancellor Professor John Gyapong welcomed them to the University and noted that the University of Ghana has recently launched the Technology Development and Transfer Centre (TDTC) which aims at doing similar things. He also said it was such reasons that the Institute for Applied Science and Technology was established. He therefore recognized the potential for collaboration between the two institutions.

The Executive Director, Dr. Tralance Addy gave a briefing on the purpose of setting up SEED. He indicated that the purpose of this visit is to seek the possibility of working with the University of Ghana. A follow-up meeting has been scheduled for September 2014 to work out the modalities of the collaboration and hopefully lead to the signing of a memorandum of understanding.

SEED has launched the first innovation centre in Accra to serve as a Regional Innovation Centre for the West African sub-Region.

 

Dr. Tralance Addy interacting with UG staff

Present at the meeting were Professor Naa Ayikailey Adamafio (Dean, International Programmes), Professor Sammy Sackey (Director, the Institute of Applied Science and Technology), Professor Chris Gordon (Director, Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies), Mr. John Anoku and Mrs. Diana Owusu Antwi both Research Development Officers at ORID.

Other members of the delegation are Mr Winfred Agbeibor Jr. (Regional Director for West Africa) and Emmanuel Kitcher (Associate Director and Programmes Manager, SEED).

 

A group photograph taken after the meeting