Accra, Jan. 21, GNA - The Accra Institute of Technology (AIT) is to offer Open University of Malaysia (OUM) programmes to transform Ghana into a higher education-hub within the West African sub-region and beyond.

Under the partnership agreement, AIT would from the 2010 semester, offer undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes using its open learning infrastructure and technologies. Dr Abdualai Baba Salifu, Director General of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) announced these at a press briefing in Accra on Thursday.

He explained that OUM was set up by 11 Malaysian public universities and had secured approval from the National Accreditation Board to offer over 71 programmes under the partnership agreement with AIT.

Dr Salifu said CSIR was proud to be associated with the programme that would enhance development of the country's human resources and "cooperate and liaise with international and local bodies and organizations on matters of research and development." He said the rate at which developed countries such as Malaysia, South Korea and other Asian countries had progressed underscored the fact that the source of wealth and strength of a nation depended on the educational, scientific and technological breakthroughs. Dr Salifu lauded the Open University programme and added that many countries had commended the initiative as crucial for reducing cost and making tertiary education affordable to many people. "By equipping our people with more knowledge, we would be empowered to successfully develop solutions to our core problem of poverty," he said.

He told the Ghana News Agency that the academic partnership would offer Ghana the opportunity to ensure that students who graduated from the universities would "come out practically equipped either to establish economic activities on their own or be absorbed into public service".

Prof. Emeritus Anuwar Ali, President of OUM, said the partnership would improve university enrollment and broaden access to tertiary education to the Ghanaian public through the exploitation of the emerging educational delivery technologies and learning resources. The Open University programme would be launched at the AIT premises in Accra on Friday.