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President John Dramani Mahama has inaugurated the Mauritius campus of the African Leadership Academy, a private tertiary institution founded by Mr Fred Swaniker, a Ghanaian entrepreneur. He was joined at the short inauguration ceremony by the Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr Charles Xavier-Luc Duval.

Mr Swaniker has a similar academy in South Africa. However, the campus in Mauritius will serve as the headquarters of the academy.

Inaugurating the campus last Tuesday, President Mahama said, "I willingly accepted to include this inauguration as part of my three-day visit in order to encourage Fred to keep up with his chosen line of investment — education across the continent."

He encouraged the founder of the academy and other Ghanaian entrepreneurs to identify such business opportunities across the continent and help tackle "Africa’s major challenges".

Education
The President called for transformational education and entrepreneurial training across the continent to prepare graduates to tackle head-on the challenges of the world.

"That is what we need across the developing world,” he said, adding that in Ghana, skills development had been intensified as a full educational course through vocational and technical education.

"It is only when we begin to challenge our young ones to think and be innovative that we can reduce youth unemployment," he stated.

Ghana business meeting
On Tuesday, President Mahama addressed a Mauritius-Ghana business meeting organised by the Board of Investments of Mauritius and the Ghana Investment Promotions Centre (GIPC).

He delivered the keynote address at the conference, which was opened by the Finance Minister of Mauritius, Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo.

The President also visited the Aaprazasi Ghat World Heritage site, a building complex in Port Louis which was the first British colony to receive indentured or a contracted labour workforce from India.

From 1849 to 1923, half a million Indian indentured labourers passed through the Immigration Depot to be transported to plantations throughout the British Empire.