A Leidener in Africa
MA student African Studies Eline Sleurink is currently on an internship in Accra, the capital of Ghana. She’s sharing her adventures on The Leidener, a blog that is run by international students of Leiden University.
Eline is doing her internship at Impact Hub, a global organisation that promotes entrepreneurship and innovation. This organisation also has an establishment in Accra, making the organisation the perfect place for her to do an internship. She puts it best herself: “Ghana has become an emblem of African development, on account of its history of peaceful elections, economic growth and infrastructural progress. There are days that I walk around Accra and I feel that I could be in any metropolitan city across the globe."
Future for entrepreneurs
As part of her internship, Eline also does research. She focuses on the role that Impact Hub Accra plays in facilitating the pathway of local entrepreneurs. For this, she conducts interviews, but also gets involved in as many events as possible. This allows her to interact with members and the team on an informal basis.
Unique opportunity
The internship offers a unique opportunity to further develop academic and professional skills. “Working in a local team, experiencing the ins and outs of the industry and seeing firsthand what opportunities and challenges exist in this context has broadened my knowledge extensively,” Eline writes. “I am confident that my time here is not only extremely valuable to my research and professional development, but has also far surpassed my expectations!”