This collaboration increased UCC’s capacity to provide educational, training, and support services to the municipal government of Sekondi-Takoradi – a sister city of Boston – towards bolstering local economic and social development. Four faculty members from UCC undertook two weeks of intensive training at Suffolk in computer skills, accounting, and strategic planning. Over 30 senior managers from Sekondi-Takoradi received UCC-delivered classes in computer skills, grant writing, project monitoring and evaluation, planning, and cost-benefit analysis.

UCC began the establishment of an Economic and Business Learning Center for businesses seeking to invest in southwestern Ghana. Partners produced and disseminated reports to municipal authorities describing means of improving competitiveness, including more efficient procedures for land registration, port development, tourism development, and the establishment of a “business university.” 

An unanticipated outcome of the collaboration an initial drive to establish a large, multi-donor programmatic trust fund by African stakeholders, including a former head of state, to provide direct financing to middle tiers of government (e.g., towns, provinces, departments, etc.).  The partnering institutions hoped to develop a joint Ph.D. program in Economics.