Liverpool and Togo to forge vital links
Ambassador visits LJMU to establish collaboration
The Ambassador of Togo visited LJMU recently to establish academic, research and business links between the University and Liverpool city region and the universities and businesses in Togo.
His excellence the Ambassador, Yackoley Kokou Johnson, was hosted by Dr Andre Batako from the General Engineering Research Institute and was also accompanied by Professor Ahmed Al-Shamma’a, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, who described the past, present and future ambitions of LJMU and underlining the key strengths of the faculty.
Both the Dean and the Ambassador had very promising and productive discussions on opportunities around collaborative working, staff training and student exchange.
The Ambassador expressed a keen interest in maritime technology and LJMU’s teaching programmes. He emphasised the urgent need of assistance in issues surrounding port security, and mentioned the forthcoming Pan-African summit in Lomé (capital of Togo) on Port Security at which LJMU was invited to register itself as exhibitor.
Students from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology were able to show their end of year designs to the Ambassador and speak with him about their experiences of LJMU. The Ambassador was also introduced to the maritime ship simulator and met with the Wirral Chamber of commerce (WCC) along with the representatives from north west UK Trade and Investment body. They discussed possible business activities that could link the Liverpool region with Togo. The guests were also taken to visit some local companies including Ty-Phoo Ltd, the tea processing plant in Moreton, where the staff shared their expertise and what the company can offer as auxiliary services parallel to its core business.
Summing up the visit, the Ambassador commented: “My visit to Liverpool was an eye-opening event for me and I am delighted with the constructive discussions I have had at various levels. I am eager to see some great results coming from this visit as there are a lot of opportunities in the Liverpool region in terms of academia and business and therefore I will endeavour to achieve future successful collaboration between my country and Liverpool.”
Dr Andre Batako, from LJMU said: “The Ambassadors visit was a very productive one where he was able to obtain an overview of our work here at the University and how we could make a plan for collaboration between LJMU, the University in Togo and the port of Lomé. Prof. Al-Shamma’a assured the ambassador that he will send an LJMU representative to the summit and establish a programme of training for delegates of Togo which will further strengthen the relationship and benefit all.”
Pictured left to right; Carl Gurnell from Wirral Chamber of Commerce, the Ambassador of Togo, Jayne Hunt from UK Trade and Industry and Dr Andre Batako from LJMU.