Equipping Young West Africans with Skills to Smoothly Transition from Academia to the Work Milieu
By the end of the programme, I hope to gain a quantum of competence from the internship, including knowledge of Public Policy and civil society organisations. Also, I hope to establish professional connections with my colleagues which would last a life-time and be invaluable in my future career”.
These are the poignant words that denote the aspirations of Hadi Alhassan, one of three recently recruited interns into the Next Generation Internship Programme.
This is WACSI’s flagship programme that seeks to hone the professional skills of young West African graduates or junior professionals to be equipped to take up senior responsibilities in the development sector.
Alhassan holds a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from the University of Ghana. He aspires to build a focused career through which he can help civil society, government and social enterprises understand and address the challenges of development in Africa.
“The practical and hands-on experiences of the internship will enhance my skills and give me a competitive edge in the job market,” he says.
Alhassan’s compatriot and the only female in this cohort, Ghanaian born Nancy Kankam Kusi is very excited to be a part of this internship programme. She believes that this internship is a very important stage in her career as it will enable her to transition smoothly “from academia to the practical world of work”.
“I hope by the end of the internship programme, I will be fully equipped and groomed to excel working in the professional world, expand my professional networks and develop my social skills,” she adds.
The only Beninese among the three, Kadi Sunday explains that his participation in this internship programme will enable him to hone his analytics skills, develop a good understanding of the civic space in West Africa and become perfectly bilingual.
“Being a part of the Next Generation Internship Programme is a great opportunity for me to sharpen my skills for the best achievement of my career plans,” he adds with an aura of optimism.
Between 2008 and 2019, WACSI has trained 53 young professionals and graduates through its flagship Next Generation Internship Programme with support from Ford Foundation and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
