The first class of students has graduated with ITC’s Diploma in International Trade, marking a major step in efforts to close a crucial education gap.

The graduation ceremony took place July 6, 2022, in Accra at the Africa House, headquarters of the Secretariat of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement. The venue underscored how their studies will further the region’s integration.

The online course is designed to close an education gap around international trade, with in-person support from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA).

Together with ITC and with the United Kingdom’s Institute of Export & International Trade (IoE&IT), the three organisations collaborated for three years to bring the programme to fruition.

“This is an important moment for ITC as it represents the first milestone achieved of a vision, that of closing the education gap in the area of international trade,” said Shaun Lake, senior e-learning advisor at ITC.

Among the motivated cohort of students, nine received diplomas for successfully completing the full one-year programme, with a further 10 receiving partial certificates for completing individual modules.

At the event, the Ghanaian Deputy Minister of Trade Herbert Krapa urged the new graduates to use their knowledge to take advantage of growing trade opportunities across Africa.

Afua Asabea Asare, the CEO of GEPA, commended the successful collaboration for delivering high-quality, multifaceted training that prepared graduates to work in international trade.

She said that the “graduates will be capable of transforming Ghana’s natural resources and raw commodities into manufactured economic wealth. I want to believe that I am looking at the next crop of business minds.”

Kevin Shakespeare, the director of strategic projects and international development at IoE&IT, lauded the graduates for their sterling performance. As the tutor for all the participants, he also commented on the excellent results of some of the top participants.

The Diploma in International Trade programme is already well on its way to boasting more graduates in Ghana, with a second cohort of students nearing their own graduation date, and registrations now open for a third cohort.  

The Diploma in International Trade was developed in 2020 to meet the training needs of professionals and small businesses in developing countries.

The programme consists of four modules:

•             The Business Environment

•             Finance of International Trade

•             International Marketing

•             International Physical Distribution