Ghanaians Are Intelligent, Smart and Eager—KOICA

Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has commended Ghanaian graduates who studied in various universities in Korea for their exceptional display of brilliance and excellence in their academic performance.

'Ghanaians are intelligent, smart and eager to learn and they excel in their various fields of study,' he recounted.

Mr. Seungmin Oh, Deputy Country Director of KOICA, Ghana Office gave the commendation at a briefing session of the 2019 KOICA Masters Scholarships Programme held at the Civil Service Training Centre in Accra.

The scholarship programme seeks to target government officials from Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The Briefing session, which saw about 120 attendees, seeks to provide a channel of assisting prospective applicants to understand the scholarship process and lessen the stress of the application process.

Mr. Oh said KOICA recognized higher education as the foundation for prosperity and success in a rapidly changing and technology -driven global economy.

'By studying in Korea, beneficiaries get to be immersed in distinct culture, acquire new language skills and invaluable experiences.'

Mr. Oh noted that a cursory look at the programme revealed that since 1997, over 3,400 graduates from 80 different nationalities have been produced.

According to Mr Oh, since 2014, 120 Ghanaian government officials have received KOICA scholarships to study various courses in Korea from a pool of overwhelming applications each year.

Renny Dede Lartey, Assistant Manager, Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow (CIAT) one of KOICA's global training programme, said prospective applicants should be a citizen of Ghana, a government official with two years' experience, and the applicants should be 40 years and below.

Madam Lartey said applicants when selected would have the opportunity to obtain Master's degree in Urban Development, Gender Equality Leadership, Finance and Tax Policy, Development in Fisheries among others.

She said the deadline for the submission of the application has been slated on March 8, this year.

Reverend Stephen Yaw Osei, President of KOICA Alumni Association of Ghana, noted that his studies in Korea has shaped his career noting that Korea is made up of serious people who believe in hard work.

Rev. Osei challenged the successful applicants to be ambassadors of Ghana.

Naa Dedei Tetteh and Mr Thomas Agorsor, beneficiaries of the scholarship, shared their learning experiences with the applicants.

The Master's Scholarship Programme is funded by the government of Republic of Korea through KOICA and it offers future leaders the opportunity to contribute to socio- economic development of their home countries.

KOICA runs the initiative in collaboration with leading and cutting -edge universities in Korea in the area of Economics, trade, gender equality, rural development among others.

—GNA