The University of Professional Studies, Association of African Universities, the National Accreditation Board and the Nigerian Universities Commission have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the capacity of internal quality assurance officers.

The signing, which was in the form of a project agreement, is being supported by the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, to promote internal quality assurance in higher educational institutions in Africa.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, signed by Dr Solveig Randhahn, Project Coordinator, said training sessions would be organised for the quality assurance officers in Anglophone and Francophone West Africa.

It said the project would focus on five related issues of internal quality assurance, effective quality assurance management in higher education institutions, the necessary tools and procedures used to implement quality assurance structures, and the methods of data collection and evaluation.

Professor Goski Alabi, Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Professional Studies (UPS), said the university had been identified as the main implementing partner based on its expertise and capabilities in the area of quality assurance.

“In the past, we have participated in various quality assurance projects, workshops and conferences, so the choice of our university came as a result of our experience and an appreciation of our commitment to developing quality management practices in the region,” she said. Prof. Alabi said the UPS was the first university in Africa to introduce an MBA programme in Total Quality Management.

She said Africa needed to enhance its capacity in the management area for universities. Mr Richard K. Adjei, Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Accreditation Board, said the internal quality assurance training project was timely as it would support the quality of tertiary education in Ghana and the West African sub-region.

He said the Board would replicate the experience to maximize the benefits of the project nationally.