20th April 2026, a delegation from the The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre (TBHEC), in collaboration with University of Cambridge, paid a courtesy call on the Provost of the KNUST College of Engineering, Prof. Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko. The Team’s visit is to explore avenues for deepening collaboration in research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
The visit formed part of ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships around inclusive innovation, research translation, and community-focused engineering solutions. Discussions highlighted existing engagements through global research networks and the potential to expand collaboration beyond current frameworks, particularly in areas such as energy systems, artificial intelligence applications, and community-based problem-solving.
Welcoming the delegation, Prof. Nyarko underscored the College’s strategic focus on innovation-driven development, noting that entrepreneurship and research translation remain central to its mission. In his remarks, he highlighted: “The vehicle that you are using, that’s entrepreneurship. So we need to operationalise it. So I’m particularly interested in what we can do together.”
He further emphasized the need to align collaborative efforts with the College’s priorities, particularly in leveraging engineering solutions to address real-world challenges. He highlighted ongoing initiatives at the College that deploy students into communities to identify and solve practical problems. He stressed that such approaches not only enhance learning but also contribute to national development.
The Provost also outlined plans to strengthen innovation infrastructure, including proposals for dedicated spaces that will support startups, industry partnerships, and student-led enterprise development. Reaffirming the College’s broader vision, he noted that engineering education must go beyond training to actively drive job creation, and economic transformation in Ghana and across Africa.
Representatives from TBHEC and the University of Cambridge commended the College’s strong track record in collaboration and innovation.The Cambridge Team describing the Ghana-based network as one of the most active and productive within their African partnerships.
Lara from Cambridge noted that the Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) is seeking to broaden its engagement, stating: “But then we are also looking at the possibility of expanding the collaboration beyond CCG. So this is where our interest in inclusive innovation, using the knowledge systems to impact communities comes in.”
The delegation further expressed interest in expanding joint initiatives, particularly in inclusive innovation models that apply interdisciplinary knowledge to community challenges. The idea is to strengthen opportunities for student engagement, collaborative research, and innovation-driven solutions.
Concluding the visit, the Director of TBHEC, Prof. David Ato Quansah informed the Provost that the delegation is on a three-day visit to KNUST. As part of the visit, they will tour laboratories across the College and engage directly with students as well as Teaching and Research Assistants working on innovative projects.
