Empowering Ghanian VET colleges for the digital future
As part of the Erasmus+ “VET ecosystems for employability in Ghana” project, Maastricht School of Management’s Expert Centre on Emerging Economies (MSM-ECEE) supported Kwadaso Agricultural College (KAC) and Adidome Farm Institute (ADI) to strengthen their capacity for digital education. A three-day face-to-face training, hosted at KAC, introduced staff to online learning practices and prepared them to implement 22 short, skills-based agri-science courses on MSM’s e-learning platform. This step marks an important milestone in advancing digitial education and enhancing employability across the participating colleges.
MSM trainer Sandra Adriaansens led the sessions in close collaboration with co-trainer Nikita Muller from Agri Colleges International, South Africa. Together, they guided four multi-disciplinary teams composed of ICT staff, department heads, and subject-matter experts from two VET colleges.
The training combined managerial, didactical, and content perspectives, ensuring participants not only understood the “how” of online learning but also its organizational impact. Interactive discussions highlighted the advantages of digital learning over traditional methods, particularly the efficiency gains in monitoring student progress and assessment. Participants also practiced navigating MSM’s e-learning platform and developing their facilitator role within an online environment.
The program concluded with action plan presentations, in which participants outlined pilot online courses to be launched within their own institutes. This is a first step towards broader institutional adoption of online learning.
Both trainers emphasized the enthusiasm and commitment of the participants, who valued the platform’s user-friendliness and the extensive ready-to-use content. Their reflections confirmed that digital tools can transform VET education by making learning more flexible, scalable, and relevant to today’s labour market needs.
The project in a nutshell
In the face of a changing climate, Ghana's agricultural sector is facing unprecedented challenges. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) offers a promising solution to enhance food security and environmental sustainability, but its successful implementation hinges on a skilled workforce capable of operating CSA technologies. The “VET ecosystems for employability in Ghana” project addresses this critical need by strengthening agricultural training and vocational education and training (ATVET) institutions in Ghana to capacitate the agricultural colleges with the necessary skills and knowledge for a thriving CSA sector. The project is funded by the European Union.
This project is managed by Veerle Barten, Project Consultant at MSM’s Expert Centre on Emerging Economies. The project will run from December 2023 until November 2026.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
MSM's Expert Centre on Emerging Economies
This institutional collaboration project is part of MSM's Expert Centre on Emerging Economies. The department is an expert centre on sustainable private sector development in emerging and developing markets. We capacitate managers and professionals from government, private sector, NGOs, and post-secondary education in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America. We offer consultancy and customized training programs, and we manage complex projects in key sectors, e.g. water, agriculture and health. For more information click here.
Related news
CB-VET Ghana project unites education and industry in climate-smart agriculture training
Insights from the CB-VET Ghana project: labour market needs and situational analysis findings
Kick-starting the development of ecosystems for employability in Ghana
