South Africa’s “The Innovation Hub” has formalised a strategic partnership with The Training Centre in Communication (TCC) in Nairobi, Kenya.
The partnership will see the opening of a new satellite office at The Innovation Hub to benefit universities, national and international research institute and programmes in South Africa and Southern Africa sub region.
The partnership, which has been informal thus far, was formalized by the signing of the memorandum of understanding, MOU, on the June 2, 2012.
The Innovation Hub (Hub) is a subsidiary of Gauteng Growth Development Agency (GGDA), an agency of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development in South Africa.
It is Africa’s first internationally accredited Science and Technology Park and a full member of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) – the leading knowledge-intensive business cluster in South Africa.
The Hub’s chief executive Mr McLean Sibanda and the University of Nairobi Centre Manager Ms Joy Owango signed the strategic partnership agreement aimed at providing seminars, courses to postgraduate students, staff, faculty and outside participants to increase communication skills and create economic opportunities.
Sibanda said on the announcement of the partnership “The signing of this bilateral agreement is a step in the right direction and important milestone in building a strong an active capacity in improving the exchange of information and knowledge skills to benefit Southern Africa Sub region.
We will work with TCC in packaging the workshops and training programmes that will serve the educational development goals and enhance the capability for innovation and venture capital support in line with the Gauteng employment and development strategy (GEDS)”.
Prof. Gabor Lovei, the Director of Training said: “we are delighted to have formed this partnership and the opportunity to work with The Innovation Hub and this agreement represents the cornerstone to achieve closer cooperation in improving the exchange of information and knowledge.
“This forms part of TCC’s mission to contribute to the increase in profile, locally and internationally, of African science, and its impact on the life of Africans, by improving skills in technical communication in all forms in African countries.
Under the MOU, The Innovation Hub in conjunction with The Training Centre in Communication will manage and coordinate courses to postgraduate students, staff, faculty and other interested parties at The Innovation Hub, South Africa, complete with a seminar style of training.
The first course to be facilitated under this partnership will be on Writing Grant Management and Oral Communication Presentation and Networking. It will be held in September at The Innovation Hub.
