The Institute of Research, Innovation and Development (IRID) has commenced engagements into a four-year partnership agreement with Ciments de l’Afrique (CIMAF). CIMAF is a Moroccan based cement manufacturing company with manufacturing plants in other countries including Ghana.
The partnership agreement between the two institutions will commence from 2022 and end in 2025. The partnership focuses on areas such as professionalization of artisans who use cement, a nationwide cement grades percentage usage survey as well as training and internship programme opportunities. In a meeting held between the two managements at CIMAF manufacturing plant in Tema Free Zones area, the Country Manager of CIMAF Ghana Mr. Mohammed Bennis and his team, presented provided various inputs for the initial draft of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to help fine tune the document. It is envisaged that legal departments of the two institutions will make ready the final versions for signing early next year.
In their earlier visit to Kumasi Technical University campus, Mr. Karim Bensalah (Dir. Corporate Comm. CIMAF Morocco) assured IRID that their company was ready to accept students and staff of the Chemical Engineering Department for training and internship opportunity both here in Ghana and Morocco.
In the framework of the collaboration, IRID would provide research consultancy and artisanal training and create the national level platform for advocacy on the use of cement (concrete) in construction of roads in Ghana. On their part, CIMAF is expected to provide the necessary funding to undertake the various projects under this partnership.
Speaking on behalf of the Institute, the Director Dr. Smart Sarpong, assured CIMAF of the maximum cooperation from the Institute and the University as a whole. He said “IRID and the Kumasi Technical University can assure you of our sincere dedication and commitment to this partnership and we will commit all required expertise and resources to make it successful”. He assured that IRID would execute its responsibilities to ensure that such collaborations become long term.
Picture: CIMAF executives and Management team of IRID