Tamale-Louisville sister cities sign agreement with Tamale Polytechnic

Tamale, June 8, GNA - The Tamale-Louisville Sister Cities relationship on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding on academic cooperation and exchange, between the Tamale Polytechnic and Jefferson Community Technical College in the USA to promote academic excellence. Under the agreement, faculties, administrators, students and relevant academic information and materials would be exchanged between the two-signatory institutions to enhance the field of knowledge and also to create cultural awareness.

Other beneficial programmes would include organizing of joint research, conferences, information about conferences and workshops and educational programmes that would suit the institutions' curricula. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Professor Mohammed Z. Ibrahimah, Principal of the Tamale Polytechnic, in a speech read on his behalf said the similarities in programmes of the Tamale Polytechnic and those of the Jefferson Community Technical College would gear towards curriculum development by notes comparing. He said exchange programmes in terms of staff development would improve academic work and technical know-how of instructors and other teaching staff to improve their teaching skills.

Professor Ibrahimah expressed the hope that the two institutions would be able to mount new programmes in a short time along lines that would benefit their communities. Alhaji Iddrisu Adam, the Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), lauded the Tamale-Louisville sister cities relationship saying, under its auspices, the World Bank had selected Tamale to benefit from some projects under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He said the project would also embark on educational campaigns to sensitise communities on poverty reduction measures as well as providing water and sanitation facilities.

Alhaji Adam appealed for the inclusion of the linkage programmes to cover the basic and secondary schools throughout the three northern regions. Dr Anthony Newberry, President of the sister city of Louisville stressed the importance of sister-cities relationships and expressed the hope that the signing of the agreement would further strengthen the friendship between the two cities. Mr Emmanuel Nyamekye, Vice Principal of the Tamale Polytechnic signed for the Polytechnic while Dr Anthony Newberry, signed for Jefferson Community College.