The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi has renewed its partnership with the Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU) in Ames, Iowa, USA, The partnership aims to promote research-driven solutions for sustainable development in underserved communities.
The Dean of International Programmes Office of KNUST, Professor Daniel Y. Duah, explained that as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two universities, ISU partnered with the KNUST College of Engineering in January 2020 to implement 'Institutional Capacity Building through Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Collaboration.' This initiative brought together KNUST and ISU faculty and students to collaborate on small-scale community development projects in the Ullo Traditional Area in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
The projects were designed to address issues related to food security, portable drinking water security, sustainable agriculture, and improved economic opportunities. The successful implementation of these poverty-reducing solutions at the Ullo Traditional Area has led to further collaborative opportunities.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, expressed her pleasure at the partnership, saying "We believe our existence as an institution of higher learning is to be able to solve societal problems through effective research. Hence, we are very pleased to have partners such as you who share the same vision."
Professor Sriram Sundararajan, a representative of the Academic Affairs at ISU, applauded the efforts of the two institutions. To him, "what the two institutions have done through design, engineering, and agriculture without borders is remarkable." He also expressed ISU's intentions to expand the partnership.
Representatives from the Engineering, Agriculture, Design, Art, and International Programmes Office attended the meeting, underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to address complex challenges facing underserved communities.
