The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST) and China’s Hubei University of Automotive Technology (HUAT) are seeking to expand cooperation in automotive technology and new energy, linking Chinese language education with scientific research and technical training.

The two universities discussed the proposals during bilateral talks in Shiyan, Hubei Province, on October 8, ahead of the fourth board meeting of the Confucius Institute at KNUST.

KNUST Registrar Benjamin Owusu Boampong led the Ghanaian delegation, while HUAT Vice President Professor Zhang Hongxia headed the host university’s team.

Discussions centred on developing the Confucius Institute’s science and technology focus alongside its role in Chinese language and cultural education. The universities identified automotive technology, new energy and language education as areas in which they could draw on each other’s expertise.

The institute was established following a memorandum of understanding signed by the two universities in December 2023, with support from the Chinese International Education Foundation.

Both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to developing programmes that would benefit staff, students and the wider communities they serve.

Before the talks, the KNUST delegation toured HUAT’s Automotive Museum, where members were introduced to the university’s history and research across the automotive industry.

The visit also included a campus tour, a visit to the Dongfeng Innovation Experience Center and an engagement with KNUST students studying at HUAT.

Members of the delegation included Professor Edmund Ekuadzi, Dean of the International Programmes Office; Professor Daniel Y. A. Duah, Ghanaian Director of the Confucius Institute; and Professor Kwaku Amaning Adjei, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Geo-Engineering.

They were joined by Professor Yesuenyeagbe Atsu Kwabla Fiagbe, Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Stella Afi Makafui Yegblemenawo, Head of the Department of Language and Communication Sciences, alongside other university officials and representatives of KNUST’s basic and senior high schools.