Governing Council Backs FANAKA-CISI-GISI Partnership As Game Changer For MSc Finance

The Governing Council of FANAKA International University College has given its full backing to the institution’s landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ghana Securities Industry Association (GISI) and its global partner, the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), describing it as a decisive shift from theory to market-integrated education.

The MOU establishes a structured academic-professional collaboration that will promote curriculum benchmarking, practitioner engagement, professional pathway orientation for MSc Finance students, continued professional development, joint research, and securities market capacity building.

Under the arrangement, graduates will receive a portable certificate jointly branded by CISI and GISI – a global passport that allows them to practice in any country where CISI operates, effectively making them global citizens trained from Ghana.

Speaking on behalf of the Governing Council at the signing ceremony, the Rector of FANAKA, Prof. Samuel Agyei-Ampomah said the primary mandate of the Council is to ensure the College does not merely exist, but leads.

“Primary mandate of a governing council is to provide visionary oversight. We ensure that this college does not merely exist, but that it leads, innovates, and remains deeply relevant to national development in our boardrooms,” Prof. Agyei-Ampomah stated.

He said the central question that drives the Council’s decisions is whether students are being equipped with the right tools to change the continent’s economic fortunes.

“The question we ask most frequently is: Are we equipping our students with the precise tools required to transform the economic landscape of Ghana and the wider African continent? Today’s partnership with GISI is a resounding definitive yes to that question,” he emphasized.

According to the Rector, by endorsing the MOU, the Governing Council is endorsing a critical shift in FANAKA’s academic strategy – moving away from traditional siloed education and embracing a dynamic, market-integrated model.

“We are moving away from traditional siloed education and embracing a dynamic market-integrated model. We recognize that for our MSc in Finance program to truly excel, it cannot rely on theory alone. It must be directly plugged into the regulatory and structural pillars of Ghana’s capital markets, pillars that GISI proudly represents alongside its partners, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Ghana Stock Exchange,” he explained.

Prof. Agyei-Ampomah assured the leadership of GISI of the Council’s total commitment to the success of the partnership.

“To the leadership of GISI, I want to assure you that the Governing Council will provide the necessary institutional support, resources, and governance infrastructure to ensure that this MOU is executed to its fullest potential,” he pledged.

GSI CEO: FANAKA MOU Will Create Global Citizens Made From Ghana

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Securities Industry Association (GSI), Lawyer Alexander Williams, has described the signing of the MOU between his institution and FANAKA International University College as a remarkable and historic milestone for finance education in Ghana.

“The outcome of this collaboration, the CISI and GSI is what has brought us here today, and for us a remarkable and historic event to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with FANAKA International University College,” he stated.

Lawyer Williams explained that the MOU establishes more than a traditional academic partnership.

“A bit about this MOU. This MOU establishes a structured academic-professional collaboration, as Prof. said, between FANAKA and GSI. So it’s not just academic, but professional as well,” he emphasized.

The agreement, he said, is anchored on the Master of Science (MSc) in Finance programme at FANAKA, and is deliberately designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

According to him, “the collaboration is intended to promote curriculum benchmarking, professional pathway orientation, practitioner engagement, and this is where we really, really care a lot.”

“We believe that at this level, it is not lectures. It is not just knowledge. It is sharing practice with academia to assess benchmarking, student professional development, continued professional development orientation, research dialogue, and securities market capacity building,” Lawyer Williams stressed.

He said a key pillar of the partnership is to help MSc Finance students clearly define their professional future while they are still in school.

“An important aspect of this programme for the MSc in Finance students is that professional development and choice of career pathway with the GSI,” he noted.

The biggest win for students, he announced, is international recognition.

“And the key advantage with the GSI-CISI pathway is the fact that when you finish our programme, you get what you call a portable certificate. That certificate is embossed with both GSI and CISI logos, showing that you’ve qualified from both worlds,” Lawyer Williams revealed.

He explained that the portability of the certificate makes graduates eligible to practice in any country where CISI has a branch, positioning Ghanaian-trained professionals for the global market.

“The portability makes you eligible to practice in any country where CISI has a branch. So for such a person, you see now staffing yourself as a global citizen made from Ghana,” he concluded.

The MOU is expected to inject practical industry expertise into FANAKA’s MSc Finance curriculum, align it with global standards, and build capacity for Ghana’s capital market.