The African University College of Communication (AUCC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the African Chamber of Content Producers in Accra to provide training and certification on Pan-Africanism Communication. The MOU was signed by the President of the University, Prof. Abeiku Blankson and witnessed by the Vice President Dr Nefertiti A. Puplampu; the Registrar, Dr Juliana Owusu-Ansah, the Dean of Communication Studies Jim Fara P. Awindor; Dean of School of Liberal Arts and Social Science; Dr Anuoluwa Kemi Wale-Olaitan for the University and two Executive Directors of the African Chamber of Content Producers, Mr Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin and Mr George Egeh. The signing was a prelude to the maiden edition of the Africa Image Conference, scheduled to take place from May 25 to May 27, 2023, in Accra. The conference aims to bring together Africans from across the continent and the diaspora to think through cogent African issues affecting Africa’s development and offer cross-board solutions with the sole purpose of rebranding Africa for development. Prof. Blankson expressed the desire of the University to extend the relationship between the Chamber and the University even beyond the image conference. He stressed the need for the two institutions to work together to build a platform for Africans in Africa and the diaspora to unite, connect, network, brainstorm and work together to turn the fortunes of Africa around for the benefit of Africans. He said the training was aimed at equipping the ambassadors for the task of rebranding the image of the continent. He said the signing of the MOU was a significant step towards building a collaborative relationship between the AUCC and the African Chamber of Content Producers in their quest to rebrand the image of Africa. ‘It is expected that this relationship will go beyond the Africa Image Conference and extend to other initiatives aimed at promoting the development of the continent,’ he added. Dr Nefertiti A. Puplampu, the Vice- President of the University, expressed the University’s desire of working with the Chamber in developing academic curricula that would train Africans in Africa and the Diaspora to communicate as Pan Africans. ‘….. and build a stronger Pan African workforce ready to use the right communication tools to develop Pan African centered solutions for the development of Africa,’ he added. Mr Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin, the Executive Director of the Chamber said the partnership marked an important milestone in the effort to change the negative narrative of Africa. ‘The Chamber of Content Producers through its partners, including the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement Area (AfCFTA) want to create a new breed of Africans conscious of their identity and how to communicate that identity to the rest of the world,’ he said. He said this would enable the citizens sell Africa, including Pan-African businesses to the rest of the world. ‘This new partnership is therefore a very important step towards the process, because Africa can develop only with the right education and a change in mentality,’ he added. Mr George K Egeh, the Vice President of the Chamber told the GNA that all image Ambassadors of the African Chamber of Content Producers would require this Pan-Africanism communication training to process their identification cards as image Ambassadors to enable them to represent the Chamber on the Africa Image (Alm) Ambassadors Project. The Africa Image (AIm) Ambassadors Project is a Pan-African leadership and development programme put together by the African Chamber of Content Producers and its partners to achieve its agenda of rebranding Africa. The project focuses on National Development Programmes across Africa and Ambassadors are expected to identify issues that affect the development of their respective countries and work with the Chamber to establish tangible and sustainable solutions to rectify these challenges through Afrofuturism content and Pan-African Business development’ he disclosed. The training programme is a six-hour programme to be delivered by top Pan-African Professors led by Prof. Kofi Asare Opoku. It will be a two-day training programme with breakout sessions with participants are expected to be guided to produce their own Pan-African Projects after the two days training. The Africa Image Conference is expected to be attended by Image Ambassadors across Africa, Representatives from selected Ministries, Representatives from the African High Commissions in Ghana, Representatives from AfCFTA, Representatives from Pan-African businesses, Representatives from selected government institutions, the academia and a host of other Pan-African groups. The African Chamber of Content Producers is a body established to spark continental change by rethinking, redesigning and rebranding Africa’s outlook through the creation of positive and responsible contents that will change the narrative of Africa.
Source: Ghana News Agency