ASC Signs MOU with University for Development Studies, Ghana

In July, the BU African Studies Center and the University for Development Studies in Tamale, Ghana, signed a memorandum of understanding outlining a vision for a cooperative and multi-layered linkage serving faculty, students, and staff at both institutions. This agreement serves one of the ASC’s key mandates as a Title VI National Resource Center to create linkages with African institutions to facilitate research and language study for our students and faculty.

Our immediate collaborations meet some of the key proposed activities outlined in our Title VI proposal, as well as new initiatives. These include support for the digital preservation of endangered archives in northern Ghana, comprising texts, audio, and other informs of indigenous knowledge, such as music and dance. We also will begin a joint pilot project pursuing digitization of Dagbani Ajami texts. The ASC hopes that affiliated faculty members will take advantage of this and other linkages we develop across the continent in order to enhance and expand the quality of teaching and research on Africa at BU and beyond.

ASC Director Fallou Ngom and Assistant Director Eric J. Schmidt are grateful for the warm welcome from UDS Vice-Chancellor Gabriel Teye, Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic at the UDS Directorate of International Relations and Advancement, Felix Longi and Jebuni Tigwe Salifu at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research and Consultancy Services, Alhajji Dr. Hussein Zakaria, and our other colleagues at UDS. We look forward to additional opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration at both UDS and the BU ASC!