The TCC International Centre for Innovation, Manufacturing, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship (TCC-CIMET) has taken a major step in strengthening its international partnerships by exploring a strategic collaboration with the Aalto University Fabrication Lab in Finland.
The initiative forms part of TCC-CIMET’s broader commitment to building strong institutional linkages that foster innovation, technology development, and entrepreneurship across Africa and beyond.
As part of this effort, Prof. Alexander Marful, Director of Business Development and Sustainability at TCC-CIMET, a UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence in Africa has paid a working visit to the Aalto Fab Lab to advance discussions on digital fabrication and interdisciplinary innovation for the Centre’s Smart Cities and Manufacturing Laboratory (SCiM Lab).
The Aalto Fab Lab, a digital fabrication hub modeled on the classic MIT Fab Lab concept, hosted Prof. Marful for a series of high-level engagements focused on deepening cooperation in advanced manufacturing and creative technology research.
During the visit, Prof. Marful held meetings with researchers, lab coordinators, and technical experts to explore opportunities in digital fabrication, immersive technologies, and the integration of emerging tools into ongoing SCiM Lab programs.
Discussions also examined possibilities for joint research projects, student exchange initiatives, and capacity-building programs aimed at advancing innovation ecosystems across Africa.
A guided tour of the Fab Lab exposed him to a range of state-of-the-art prototyping equipment and emerging digital manufacturing workflows relevant to TCC-CIMET’s mandate.
In a detailed technical session, workshop masters, Mr. Krisjanis Rijnieks and Mr. Solomon Embafrash outlined the Fab Lab’s operational workflows, the potential of the globally recognized Fab Lab Academy, and several collaborative pathways for training and innovation.
They highlighted how both institutions can work together to build advanced technical capacity, enhance digital fabrication skills, and nurture the next generation of African makers and innovators.
Reflecting on the tour, Prof. Marful commended the Aalto Fab Lab’s hands-on, end-to-end approach to innovation, stating that its strength lies “not just in the machines, but in the knowledge around them from idea generation to CAD and CAM design, fabrication using multiple tools, electronics, programming, and full system integration enabled by state-of-the-art equipment.”
He noted that TCC-CIMET brings valuable expertise in frugal innovation, creative problem-solving, and translating transdisciplinary research into practical solutions for communities across Ghana and Africa.
Prof. Marful emphasized that with global partners such as Aalto Fab Lab, DTU SkyLab, and the KIT Digital Fabrication Lab, the SCiM Lab is well positioned to co-develop transformative technologies capable of driving meaningful development across the continent.
Speaking on behalf of the Director-General of TCC-CIMET, Prof. Francis Davis, and the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson, he expressed gratitude for Aalto Fab Lab’s willingness to collaborate in building capacity for Africa’s young innovators.
Both institutions reaffirmed a strong commitment to developing a long-term partnership aimed at advancing creative technology research and expanding learning opportunities for students and researchers across Africa, Europe, and beyond.
Also present at the engagement was Arc. Taru Niskanen from the Department of Architecture and the WitLab of Aalto University, who contributed insights on design-led innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
