The expert for the Colleges of Engineering under the Africa Centers of Excellence Impact Project, Dr. Chux Daniels advocates for Entrepreneurship and Innovation during his visit to the KNUST College of Engineering

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson (4th from left), the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo (5th from right), and other KNUST management team with Dr. Chux Daniels (3rd from left), Mr. Jonas Adjei (2nd from left) and the KEEP team

Dr. Chux Daniels, the expert for the Colleges of Engineering under the Africa Centers of Excellence Impact Project and the Finance Officer at the Association of African Universities (AAU), Mr. Jonas Adjei visited the KNUST College of Engineering (CoE) from 21st to 22nd November 2022 to witness the current implementation status of the project.

They paid a courtesy call to the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson, and had discussions and engaged with students, staff, management, and the Advisory Board Chairpersons of the KEEP project.

Prof. Dickson established the need for partnerships and the need for KNUST to take an instrumental role as one of the leading Science and Technology universities in the subregion.

She stated that entrepreneurship and innovation are at the heart of KNUST and the university currently has an innovation hub that facilitates entrepreneurship and innovation.

Dr. Chux Daniels thanked the VC for her warm reception and congratulated her for being appointed the first female VC of the university. He also seized the opportunity to thank the KNUST management for their key role in mentoring the University of Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering (USET) into a fully-fledged university.

The Provost of the College of Engineering, Prof. Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko informed the house that the KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP) is currently one of the leading centers amongst the African Center of Excellence and thanked the university management for their support.

During the meeting with the KEEP team, updates on the activities of KEEP, West Africa Sustainable Engineering Network for Development (WASEND), the College of Engineering Innovation Center, and the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL) were given and they visited the fully furnished RAIL lab situated in the KEEP building, the Innovation Center, and the Dipper Lab. 

In his remarks, the Provost, of the College of Engineering, Prof. Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko said the management of KNUST has been supportive and instrumental in the successes chalked by KEEP and the College. “I am happy to announce that KEEP is one of the best centres out of the 53 African Centre of Excellence (ACE) Impact Projects funded by the World Bank,” he stated.

He said KEEP has invested money in innovation through an innovation challenge and the key person leading that effort is Prof. Kwaku Adjei, and a course on innovations will be considered soon. He said the University of Sussex is known for its strong innovation system and the College of Engineering wants to leave a footprint in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in terms of innovation.

Prof. Kponyo mentioned that as a centre of excellence, the College needs to set itself apart as a place of excellence and the preferred destination for engineering education.

Dr, Chux Daniels indicated that innovation is the future of engineering and encouraged the KEEP team to keep working hard as it is one of the best ACE centres in terms of the Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLI).

He stressed that innovation should be part of science and technology as the focus of the University and alluded that engaging industry in teaching and learning activities will also aid in innovation and commercialization and also bridge the gap between academia and industry.

He concluded that the College’s mentorship of the Gambian Technical Training Institute (GTTI) into the University of Applied Science Engineering and Technology (USET) is a major impact and achievement and he applauded the College for the good work done.

Prof. Kponyo announced on behalf of the Provost that there are plans to expand the space for the COE Innovation Center into an Innovation lane where students can have the requisite equipment and makerspace to think and innovate.

Present at the meeting were Prof. Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko, Provost, College of Engineering, Mr. Edward Mansal, Director of USET, Prof. Jerry John Kponyo, Deputy Project Lead, Prof. Kwaku Amaning Adjei, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Geo-Engineering and the Quality Assurance and Innovations Coordinator, KEEP, Dr. Kwadwo Mensah-Darkwa, Head of Materials Engineering Department, Dr. Eric Tutu Tchao, Digital Development Technologies Research Theme Lead, KEEP, Dr. Daniel Opoku, Marketing/Outreach Officer, KEEP, Dr. Eunice Akyereko Adjei, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, KEEP, Mr. Kwadwo Nyantakyi Marfo, Project Manager, KEEP, Mr. Abraham Yenu Lambon, Finance Officer, KEEP, Miss Gifty Antoinette Hukpati, Communication Officer, KEEP, Mrs. Afia Kesewaa Akosah Agyenim Boateng, Alumni Relations Officer and Mr. Asante Eric, Assistant IT Officer.