Ghana Publishing Company, KNUST partner, to exchange skills, undertake joint contracts

The Ghana Publishing Company Limited (GPCL) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have agreed to collaborate on mutually beneficial activities in the areas of research, skills/expertise exchange and human resource capacity building.

The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last Friday to give legal backing to the collaboration at the University Council Chamber in Kumasi.

It will facilitate the opportunity for both institutions to jointly pursue and collaborate on printing and publishing contracts, offer internship and job placement opportunities for printing and publishing students/graduates of KNUST and the organisation of training and refresher programmes for staff of the GPCL.

The Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. Kwasi Obiri-Danso, and the Managing Director of the GPCL, Mr David Boateng Asante, initialled the MoU for their respective institutions.

Stronger relationship

In a speech at the ceremony, Prof. Obiri-Danso expressed his appreciation to the GPCL for the collaboration.

He expressed the hope that the agreement would help foster a stronger relationship that would inure to the benefit of both institutions.

He encouraged the company to position itself to meet the printing and publishing demands of the local economy.

Prof. Obiri-Danso added that the University intended to use the opportunity provided by the agreement to provide valuable practical experience for its publishing and printing students and also collaborate in the design of publishing and printing related courses which satisfied current demands in the printing and publishing industry.

Revamping GPCL

When he took the microphone, Mr Asante said the signing of the MoU formed part of ongoing initiatives by the management and staff of the company to revamp and retool it as the principal state printing and publishing institution solely responsible for printing and publishing government works.

He said the opportunity for staff of the GPCL to receive human capacity-building training and have access to qualified printing and publishing manpower was the motivation behind the initiative to collaborate with KNUST. ​

Commitment

The Board Chairman of the GPCL, Dr Daniel Owusu-Ansah, stressed the company’s commitment to provide internship and national service opportunities for students and graduates from the Publishing Department of KNUST, joint pursuit of printing and publishing contracts and the establishment of a relationship to share skills, expertise and infrastructure.

Primarily, the GPCL exists to print and publish very high quality books and stationery for educational institutions, government departments and the public at competitive prices.