THE University of Ghana (UG) and the Spain-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (SGCC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for students of the University to undertake internship programmes with companies that are members of the SGCC.

The SGCC is a non-profit association of Spanish and Ghanaian companies which aims to promote the commercial and professional ties between Ghana and Spain.

President of the SGCC, Joaquin Roura Lama, in his remarks after signing the MoU in Accra on Monday,  said the MoU would give an opportunity to students from the Spanish section of UG to get first-hand experience from Spanish companies where they would learn how Spanish companies work.

He said the Chamber had about 10 companies in different sectors of the economy and those companies were interested in working with students from University of Ghana.

Mr Lama said the chamber was poised in assisting any initiative that would strengthen the ties between the two countries at the industrial and commercial levels for which reason the internship programme had been established.

The Ambassador of Spain, Javier Gutiérrez said the MoU would offer highly motivated and competent students of the UG the opportunity to gain practical work experience and improved skills, which hopefully would give them access to the job market.

He said the companies participating would also have benefits, as the students would bring new perspectives and innovative ideas on board, adding that “the programme will also be a valuable tool for the companies in their recruitment processes in Ghana.”

The Vice-Chancellor of UG, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, expressed the University’s gratitude to Spain, the Embassy of Spain, and the SGCC for the initiative, adding that, “we look forward to many more areas of collaboration with mutual benefit for both Spain and the Republic of Ghana.”

She said the university was excited about the collaboration not only because of the hands-on industrial experience that would be acquired but also the cross-cultural exposure that would be experienced during the internship period and the job opportunities which would be available to the graduates.

She said the signing ceremony was the first in a series of planned programmes to strengthen the existing cordial relationship between the University and Spain.

Prof.Amfo indicated that mechanisms including clinical, internships, workshops and seminars have been put in place as part of efforts to complement the training of the university students with practical learning opportunities to make them job-ready.

“The University has developed policies which seek to streamline and synchronise such practical sessions including internships, in order to derive the best outcomes,” she added.