Three University of Winnipeg students took part in the official State Visit to the Republic of Ghana of Their Excellencies, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada and Mrs. Sharon Johnston; and Mrs. Trudy Kernighan, the High Commissioner of Canada. Douglas Baba, Reuben Garang, and Megan Prydun are in Ghana until July on an international work placement through UWinnipeg’s Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) in Indigenous Development professional degree program. They are accompanied by an MDP Advisory Circle Member, Wayne Dunn.
As part of an orientation prior to their work placement, the MDP students joined several prestigious state events with the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada and had a chance to directly meet him. They attended the panel discussion “Education and the Role of Higher Institutions in Economic Advancement and Development”, as well as a reception at the residence of the High Commissioner and a meeting with the Hon. Betty Mould-Iddrisu, former Minister of Education and Ghana’s first female Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
“The MDP students also had meetings with members of the United Nations, The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation,” explained Dunn. “They will begin their field placements on sustainability on Sunday, May 19 with a traditional ceremony, welcoming them into the village of Kperisi. This will be another beneficial cultural experience enhancing their work placement in Ghana.”
This international work placement and collaboration flows from a robust partnership forged by UWinnipeg President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Lloyd Axworthy and the late President of Ghana, John Atta Mills, which involves UWinnipeg, the University for Development Studies (UDS), Ghana, and the Government of Ghana. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by UWinnipeg and UDS in May 2012 in Ghana. A delegation from UDS subsequently traveled to Winnipeg, in October 2012, to formalize an agreement on a Joint Institute for Indigenous and Traditional Peoples’ Development between the two universities.
“Our trip to Ghana is more than an international field placement,” expressed Prydun, a second-year student. “Being able to meet with change makers like representatives from the World Bank and the United Nations is a great experience. It is inspiring to be able to talk about development work with all of these important players — including the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada.”
About the MDP
The MDP combines training in the health sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and management to give practitioners the tools to address the world’s most challenging problems while creating leaders in Indigenous development. UWinnipeg’s MDP program connects students with a network of 23 universities that share resources and research in this area. Learn more about this degree program at http://mdp.uwinnipeg.ca or email mdp@uwinnipeg.ca
