By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, Oct. 19,
GNA – A Paris Graduate School of Management (PGSM) Alumni-Ghana has been
inaugurated to create a network of a better future for members.
The PGSM is a
12-month online course for managers and executives leading to the Bachelor of
Business Administration (BBA), Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) and the
International Executive MBA.
The
inauguration, held in Accra, was on the theme; “Alumni Networking; Key to
Opportunities and Advancement.
It featured the
unveiling of the alumni logo, cloth to make the Association stand out and the
swearing-in of the Executive members.
Mr John Aseeph,
the Vice President of PGSM Alumni-Ghana, in a brief history, indicated that the
School, which started in Ghana in 2003, had about 3,000 graduates in the
country.
He said there
had been failures in the past to have all the graduates under one umbrella and,
therefore, was hopeful that with the official inauguration they would be able
to sustain the Association.
Mr Aseeph said
the alumni offered a lot of opportunities for members and urged other graduates
who are not yet members to join.
Mr Hugh Aryee,
the President of PGSM Alumni-Ghana, noted that the Association had come to stay
and asked members to connect with other colleagues to support each other.
Professor Mike
Wooi, the Dean of PGSM, commended the graduates for forming the Association
saying it would provide them with real life benefits.
“Use the
various expertise you have acquired to enable the alumni progress and succeed,”
he stated.
Mr Micheal
Luguje, the Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, in a speech
read on his behalf, advised members to use their positions as top managers and
leaders in their various organisations to solicit support for the Alumni saying;
“This will provide resources to make the Association more visible.”
He urged
members to take active interest and participate in activities to ensure the
growth of the Alumni.
Ms Efua Asabea
Asare, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ghana Export Promotion Centre, in a
speech read on her behalf, congratulated the executives on the bold step to
form the Association irrespective of the challenges.
Speaking on the
topic; “Bridging the Gap in Education and Entrepreneurship, The Role of the
Alumni” she said even though government had put in place initiatives such as
the Nation Builders Corps and Youth Employment Agency, to give work experience
to the youth, this was not enough to bridge the unemployment gap.
Ms Asare said
there was the need to create a direct link between formal education and
entrepreneurship to ensure ready jobs for the teaming youth.
The CEO said
one of the ways to reduce unemployment in the country was to encourage the
spirit of entrepreneurship and this was where the alumni needed to come in to
provide the expertise.
“Being an
entrepreneur requires capital, work force, good management principles and a
more daunting task of research to be able to penetrate the market and capture a
share”.
“Expecting a
fresh graduate to have all these qualities is not possible, hence the need and
assistance of an alumni.”
She, therefore,
urged the experienced Alumni members to guide the fresh graduates to reach
their goals.
This could be
done by making choices based on their interests, assisting with fundraising,
partnerships, acting as their mentors, and marketing them to people in their
network to secure their future.
GNA
