One of my favourite quotes that I live by is by Leonard Ravenhill: “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity.” As such, I couldn’t think of any reason to stop me from attending a meeting with a delegation from my college Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. I was thrilled when I received an email about a week prior informing me of the visit of Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Daniel Yaw Addai Duah, Dean, International Programmes Office, Mr Andrew Kwasi Boateng, Registrar, Mr Yaw Nimo-Baffour, Finance Officer and Dr Florent Engelmann, Attaché for scientific and higher education cooperation, French Embassy in Accra, on the 8th of November 2022. The days leading up to the visit were filled with so many mixed emotions. I had a nostalgic feeling characterized by the fact that I get to see my compatriots who to me came with a piece of Ghana with them. I was also typically nervous because this was my chance to meet some of the revered personalities in Ghana and I wanted to leave a good impression of myself. Also, I felt pressured as this was my responsibility to represent Ghana in the best way to the panel.

I was particularly elated to be meeting Professor Mrs Dickson the current Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University. As the first female Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, she is an idol to me as well as most aspiring female scientists in Ghana. However, her absence wasn’t very disappointing. Prof. Daniel Yaw Addai Duah, Mr Andrew Kwasi Boateng, and Mr Yaw Nimo-Baffour briefly mentored me overwhelmingly well on some prospects in my career in Ghana. I got the impression that our networking session would be very beneficial to me after my studies and in my job search in Ghana. We also discussed life in Paris, my challenges, and my academic life. I was extremely grateful for the bits of advice my Ghanaian professors gave me as I continue my studies in AgroParisTech. It was also very refreshing to have people to speak Twi (our Ghanaian language) with once again.
The visit ended with a tour of the AgroParisTech campus. But before our meeting ended, the Ghanaian delegate informed me of the purpose of their visit and the next country they were visiting. I am very hopeful that this visit will indeed strengthen the relationship that AgroParisTech has with KNUST to allow other lucky students like myself to enjoy this amazing AgroParisTech experience.
The FIPDes journey has been a dream come true for me. Along the way, I am surprised by moments like this that I could have only imagined if I hadn’t been part of this family. Time in time, I am exposed to people and places that are very crucial to building myself up and fulfilling my ambitious goals. Above all, I am very grateful to Miss Isabelle Laissy, Prof. Barbara Rega and the whole FIPDes family for their constant support and for this occasion to meet these influential personalities from Ghana.