The purpose of the trip was to expose the students to global thought leaders in Africa.

The journey to Harvard was sponsored by Peak Investment Capital (PIC), a leading Pan African investment firm with focus on small and medium scale enterprises across the continent. PIC also has investments in the food and hospitality industries.

The Managing Partner of PIC, Mr Kobbina Awuah, an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, told the Daily Graphic at an event in Kumasi to receive the five-man team on their return to the country, that he used his network as an alumni to a great advantage to get the students from the KNUST to attend meetings and classes.

“The climax of the programme was the Harvard African Business Conference held on the Harvard Business School Campus, which offered the students the chance of identifying business opportunities and ways of going about them,” he stated.

The PIC, in consultation with the Students’ Representative Council, initially selected 10 brilliant student leaders for the trip, but due to difficulties in obtaining visas, only five were able to attend the programme.

The participating students in the programme have also received coaching from the executive team of PIC on networking skills.

Mr Awuah said while at Harvard, the students participated in several classes and experienced the famous ‘case study method’ employed at the business school.

“The students were taught lessons in entrepreneurship, finance and leadership.

“They also participated in an admissions symposium during which the team was shown various steps and requirements necessary for gaining admission into the university and effective ways of preparing their application,” he observed.

He said the PIC intended to organise a programme visit every year and was hopeful of extending the arrangement to other universities in Ghana.

The PIC established the leadership programme last year to train the next generation of Africa’s leaders in business and leadership.

Under the programme, selected Ghanaian university students are sent for training in universities either in the country or overseas. Additionally, they attend international conferences, mentorship initiatives and undergo internships with PIC portfolio companies across Africa.

Since its inception, the Board of Directors of PIC has committed an estimated $50,000 in support of initiatives towards the programme