The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, and the Federal Republic of Germany have reaffirmed their longstanding partnership and pledged to deepen cooperation in academic and research initiatives.

His Excellency Frederik Landshöft, German Ambassador to Ghana, said during a visit to KNUST that Ghana-German relations are built on mutual respect and collaboration across multiple sectors, notably education and research.

“Our relations are very deep, with a long history of cooperation. One of the strongest pillars of this cooperation is academic exchange. We currently have more than 60 university partnerships between Ghana and Germany, and KNUST remains a vital part of that network,” he said.

He noted that the German Embassy has been working closely with KNUST over the years and expressed confidence in expanding the partnership.

“We are here to strengthen and deepen the partnership and build on everything that has been achieved between the Embassy, Germany, and KNUST,” he added.

Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson, said that over the years, the partnership between KNUST and Germany has yielded remarkable outcomes in capacity building, staff training, research, and student exchange.

“We are proud and extremely happy that over this long period, we have been able to collaborate to this extent,” she said.

She underscored the importance of global partnerships in addressing development challenges and noted that KNUST’s mission to train transformative leaders requires international exposure for both faculty and students.

“When you have that vision, you cannot operate alone. You must expose the trainers and the students to global experiences. That is why our relationship with your country and its universities is so crucial to what we do,” she said.

Professor Dickson called for a stronger partnership between the institutions in advancing the university’s clean and green energy agenda. She said the university has begun powering administrative buildings and colleges with solar energy and appealed for Germany’s support to scale up the initiative.

“With just about five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we must all work together to ensure we can proudly say we have made meaningful progress,” she said.