The Pentecost University College Graduate Studies (PUCGS) on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Project Management Institute (PMI), Ghana Chapter, in joint support of the university’s MBA Project Management programme.

The agreement, which would enable the combination of best practice from both public and private sectors, allows the two organizations to leverage their shared vision and expertise in project and programme management.

This would aid the university’s MBA Project Management students to acquire internationally accredited professional certifications in project management through training and educational initiatives.

At the signing ceremony in Accra, Professor Kwame Bosiako Omane-Antwi, Dean of PUCGS, signed for the university while Mr Augustine Harrington-Nunoo, President of PMI, Ghana Chapter, signed on behalf of his organisation.

Prof Omane-Antwi said with the MOU, the university became part of the PMI family and that would help the MBA Project Management graduates to advance their careers, improve their organizational success through globally recognized standards, certifications, resources, tools and academic research.

He described the PMI as the world’s leading not-for-profit professional association for projects, programmes and portfolio management, adding that such partnership would expose the students to more avenues and networking which were very essential in any endeavour.

Students would also be exposed to professional practices, hands-on experiences and interactions that would help broaden their horizon culminating in value for money as they graduate and work on the field of practice, he said.

He said the PUGS established in 2013 now had over 300 graduate students and more inroads were being made as the university looked for more partnerships to improve the learning opportunities for its students.

He said when Project Management students were exposed to such opportunities, and they in turn put such expertise into practice, there would be proper management of national projects leading to better planning and programming.

Mr Harrington-Nunoo said by the terms of the MOU, senior qualified PMI-certified professionals from the private industry would serve as distinguished guest lecturers in selected graduate school courses, seminars and conferences to provide the latest project management perspectives and training, among other things.

He said: “The PMI Ghana Chapter is pleased to partner PUCGS in achieving its strategic principles of advancing the application of project management knowledge, concepts and theory by society-at-large, through active support of educational practices and dissemination of project management related education information.”