Transnational Academic Group (TAG), multinational educational organisation which operates in Africa and the Middle East has appointed Mr Christopher Pilgrim as Chief Executive Officer, West Africa effective February 1, 2019.

TAG which owns and operates Lancaster University Ghana, has over 27 years of experience in the higher education sector, Mr Pilgrim would be heading TAG’s Lancaster University Ghana campus, which was established in 2013 in academic partnership with Lancaster University and is ranked 6th in the UK.

A statement issued in Accra by the Group said Mr Pilgrim had been with the TAG Group since 2010 and was no new-comer to the African setting, having been closely involved IN the Group’s strategic development plans for the continent.

It said the CEO has undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the higher education landscape in Africa and was familiar with both the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.

The statement quoted Mr Rakesh Wahi, Group Co-Founder who stated on the occasion of Mr Pilgrim’s appointment that “Chris has been a key member of our executive team since 2010 and is the most appropriate candidate to take our Ghana operations to the next level, especially since he has been involved in the establishment of the Ghana campus from the concept stage.”

It said TAG had an eleven-year history in the tertiary education space with campuses in The Middle East and West Africa with the group partnership with globally top-ranked universities to provide high quality education in emerging market nations, so that local students can obtain a UK degree while staying in their home country at a fraction of the cost.

TAG’s campus in Ghana, in partnership with Lancaster University provides world-class higher education for students throughout not just West Africa, but from the entire continent.

“Ghana is a strategic gateway into West Africa and it was seen by both TAG and Lancaster University from the outset as an ideal location for our first campus in Africa,” the statement quoted Mr Pilgrim.

According to the statement, Mr Pilgrim said having been with the TAG Group Senior Team for 10 years, “I am looking forward to my new role as CEO TAG West Africa, and I am looking forward to leading the team into the next phases of development of the university.”

He said with over half a million African students studying abroad annually, the continent has the highest outbound student ratio in the world but unfortunately, along with this annual migration of students comes capital flight and increased brain drain.

“Our presence in Africa may help to alleviate, albeit in a modest way, this outflow of talent and capital by providing students with a globally education experience near their home,” Mr Pilgrim said.

Mr Pilgrim holds an MBA degree and a BBA degree in Finance from the University of New Brunswick in Canada.