July 25, 2019. Accra – CEIBS Africa today formally partnered with Tullow Oil Ghana Limited and the Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners (IHRMP) to launch the second cohort of the HR Mentoring Programme. The programme, aimed at equipping young HR practitioners in Ghana with the skills needed to keep pace with technological changes and emerging trends in the area of work, is the brainchild of Tullow Oil Ghana Limited Director of Business Services and CEIBS GEMBA student Mrs. Irene Asare. A launch event held at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Accra today attracted leading HR executives from across Ghana, along with the 23 mentees who were chosen for the programme via a rigorous selection process.

In her opening remarks, Mrs. Asare revealed that even though Tullow is an oil and gas company, it also has as part of its agenda the capacity to help build and transform Ghana and that it is the company’s firm belief that one of the best places to start is with the HR profession. She urged participants to embrace three core principles as they embark on their new 12-month journey. “Through this HR mentoring programme we hope that you will became agents of change and to do this you will need to have a goal, you will need to have objectives and you will need to make them clear because without a goal you will go through the sessions with very little impact,” she said. “Secondly, you need to make sacrifices. We are providing you with a platform and you will need to pay a price for the prize that you seek. That might be lack of sleep, letting go of pleasure activities or even spending some extra money travelling for classes. Lastly, you need to work hard because you will yield nothing if you don’t put work and energy into this. The programme will help you to learn by doing, so take advantage of it.”

In his remarks, Tullow Oil plc Executive Vice President Mr. Kweku Awotwi noted that testimonies from the first cohort were an indication of the programme’s solid footing and that the unique partnership between CEIBS, IRHP and Tullow would make it even better this time around. He added that Tullow’s decision to launch the programme reflects its vision to be progressive in its pursuit to become Africa’s leading oil and gas company. “At Tullow, we have made some changes recently that reflect what it means to be progressive,” he said. “We have restructured our operations to reflect what we call ACT – agility, capability and technology. This is an effort to achieve our vision of a world where the future of work is gradually changing and seeing ourselves being ready for this change.”

Next, IHRMP Executive Director Mr. Ebenezer Agettor pointed out that IHRMP members had anticipated the launch of the second edition of the programme as a result of the success of the first one. He further lauded the involvement of CEIBS as a new partner in the programme, noting the school’s profound reputation and expertise in executive education globally. “CEIBS’ involvement is a welcome addition. In fact, this is going to flavour the programme,” he said. He also implored mentees to make the best of the opportunity as it was a rare one. “To the mentees,” he added, “the programme will afford you the opportunity to receive support and feedback from highly seasoned HR practitioners which will propel you in your careers.” Finally, Mr. Agettor called on other corporations to come on board to make the impact of the programme greater.

In closing the event, CEIBS Africa Executive Director Professor Matthew Tsamenyi said CEIBS has always believed in developing human talents and thus, when the institution was approached about the partnership, it was an easy decision to make. “You can’t run an organisation without an effective human resource system,” he said. “At CEIBS, the HR and Organisational Department is our largest one, and this is a testament to how dear issues of HR and organisational development are to us.” Prof. Tsamenyi then invited participants to call on the school at any time and assured them that CEIBS will play its role in helping the mentees become better HR professionals by the end of the 12-month period of the programme.