Ghanaians who studied in the Netherlands have been charged to make their training count in the socio-economic development of Ghana.
The over 5,000 Ghanaian professionals were also asked to continue to excel in their various fields of endeavour.
These pieces of advice were given by the Dutch Ambassador to Ghana, Ron Strikker, at the launch of the 35th anniversary of the Netherlands Alumni Association of Ghana (NAAG).
“We are proud to have so many alumni here in Ghana. We are also provide to have many alumni in important positions in government, in private sector and other sectors as well all who have contributed and continue to contributing so much to the prosperity and development of the countrym” Ron Strikker recounted.
Describing NAAG as the most active and vibrant Dutch alumni association in the world, he called on all alumni to get involved in the 35th anniversary and support its activities in any way possible.
The anniversary is under the theme: “The Relevance of Dutch Education to the Socio-Economic Development of Ghana over the past Decades: NAAG in Perspective”.
President of NAAG, Daniel Tibu says the theme for the anniversary was carefully chosen to ensure that the Dutch education is felt in Ghana.
He noted that 35 years is a huge milestone for the alumni to come together and take stock and restrategise on how to impact on the socio-economic development of Ghana.
“The tagline for the Dutch Embassy is ‘Holland-Ghana, Growing Together’, and that of the Association is ‘Growing Together in Knowledge’. For us, travelling to the Netherlands to go and study is very key.
“Most of us have travelled there to go and acquire knowledge and skills and we are back in the country impacting the country on all the various sectors of the economy that we find ourselves.”
NAAG was founded in Ghana in 1982 as a way of sharing knowledge and experiences among Ghanaians who trained in the Netherlands. For more than three decades, over 5,000 Ghanaians including ministers of state have benefitted from the Dutch education scholarships.
The 35th anniversary is expected to refresh the professionals and get them together to recommit themselves to putting into practice the skills acquired from Europe.
The activities for the anniversary starts from October 29 to November 4, 2017.
Among activities lined up to mark the anniversary include a public lecture, donation to the Akropong School for the Blind, Picnic and Awards Night.
By Isaac Essel & Emmanuel Kwame Amoh |3news.com