The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, (KNUST) has launched its 10-year Corporate Strategic Plan, dubbed PLAN 2K35, positioning the University for a transition from excellence to eminence through innovation, interdisciplinary research, and strong institutional coordination.
Unveiled as an “operational compass” for the next decade, PLAN 2K35 outlines KNUST’s strategic direction from 2025 to 2035, with a strong emphasis on research impact, innovation leadership, and societal transformation.
The Council Chairman of the University, Akyamfour Asafo Boakye Agyemang-Bonsu highlighted the proposed KNUST Innovation Moonshot Fund (KNUST-IMF), an ambitious financing initiative aimed at supporting high-risk, high-reward research.
“The University is targeting the mobilisation of up to US$500 million by 2035 to fund transformative research with strong societal and commercial potential,” he said.
According to him, the Moonshot Fund will be institutionalised through the establishment of a professionally managed Innovation Moonshot Trust, designed to attract diverse funding sources and support bold, frontier-pushing research.
He urged Faculty members to embrace a new research culture, with a clear shift from the traditional “publish or perish” mindset to what was described as “innovate or become irrelevant”.
To ensure effective execution of the Plan, Akyamfour revealed that KNUST will establish a Transformative Delivery Unit (TDU) to monitor implementation, track progress, and strengthen accountability across the institution. He urged Colleges, departments, and faculties to set up internal committees to develop aligned implementation plans.
He also stressed the need to break away from siloed operations, advocating interdisciplinary collaboration through grant challenge consortia. These consortia will bring together scholars from different disciplines to tackle complex societal problems, ranging from climate change and energy to health and technological innovation.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chair of the PLAN 2K35 Committee, Professor David Asamoah, explained that the Plan represents a deliberate repositioning of the University for greater global relevance. He noted that central to the Strategic Plan is a renewed articulation of the University’s Vision, Mission, and Core Values, which define who we are, what we exist to do, and the principles that guide our actions.
He stated that the University’s renewed vision is “to be an eminent global university that engineers a sustainable future through science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.”
In alignment with this vision, he added that the University’s mission reaffirms its purpose “to advance knowledge in science and technology by creating an enabling environment for relevant and impactful research, quality teaching and learning, entrepreneurship, and community engagement, all aimed at improving the quality of life.”
He added that underpinning both the vision and mission are the University’s core values, captured in the acronym LEDIA, which commits KNUST to leadership in innovation and technology, excellence as a culture, diversity and equal opportunity for all, integrity and stewardship of resources, and agility and adaptability.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson emphasised that PLAN 2K35 is a direct response to growing expectations for universities to deliver practical solutions and measurable impact. He noted that governments, industry, communities, and students are increasingly looking to universities for answers to societal challenges.
“The growing need for higher education to provide the needed solutions and impact is so powerful now than ever. We want solutions to societal problems and they are looking up to us. Governments expect investors to fuel economic growth. Industries are looking for graduates who can adapt, innovate and lead. Communities expect research that improves lives. Students expect education that prepares them not just for their first job, but for a lifetime of learning and value addition in an unpredictable world,” she said.
The event saw the official unveiling of PLAN 2K35, led by the University Council Chair and the Management of KNUST.
By: Abena Serwaa Gyamfi
