Ghana and Russia have long maintained strong diplomatic and economic relations, dating back to the Soviet era. Their collaboration spans various sectors, including education, where many Ghanaian students study in Russia, and trade, particularly in energy and agriculture.
Recently, the Korle Klottey Municipality in Accra, Ghana, partnered with Russia’s University of Science and Technology MISIS to enhance its communication skills and improve the quality of municipal services, according to Hans Bernard Nii Ofori-Quaye, head of public relations at the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly.
Experts from NUST MISIS will train municipal staff in effective communication strategies, focusing on building stronger relationships with the public. “The world is a global village, and we are doing everything we can to fit into it,” Ofori-Quaye emphasized.
He explained that development projects initiated by the Korle Klottey Municipality, located in the heart of Ghana’s capital, have a nationwide impact. The training aims to improve the communication skills of municipal staff, especially department heads, who will pass on the knowledge to their teams.
The partnership with NUST MISIS is part of a broader effort by the municipal administration to learn from Russia’s successful urban development model. The municipality has also launched programs in waste and resource management, consulting with Russian universities.
Ofori-Quaye noted that Moscow is now one of the most developed cities in the world. By learning from Moscow’s experience, the Ghanaian municipality hopes to gain valuable insights. The Mayor of Accra supports strengthening partnerships with Moscow institutions to adopt their practices for Accra’s development.
“We firmly believe that this program will enhance our municipality’s information-sharing capabilities, help achieve consensus, build relationships between citizens and the administration, and make the feedback process dynamic and timely,” he said.
Highlighting Moscow’s well-organized traffic management and green initiatives, Ofori-Quaye praised Mayor Sergey Sobyanin’s efforts to accelerate the city’s development. He described Moscow as one of the cleanest cities in the world due to its effective waste management.
Ofori-Quaye, who studied at NUST MISIS, attested to the high quality of education there, noting that Russia’s practice-based education system equips students with practical skills. He recalled that Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, established strong ties with the Soviet Union, envisioning that learning from the East would help Ghana become self-sufficient.
The Ghanaian municipality has been invited to participate in the BRICS Municipal Forum in Moscow at the end of August, where Moscow will showcase its urban transformations. “This is the largest and most important forum where Moscow will showcase the transformations that have taken place in the city,” Ofori-Quaye said.
Source: Sputnik