The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) through its School of Public Health has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tulane University, USA, aimed at strengthening academic cooperation through student and faculty exchanges, joint research, and collaborative grant opportunities.
The agreement, formalised during a visit by a delegation from Tulane University, marks the next phase in a growing relationship between the two institutions after nearly a year of informal engagement.
Prof. Peter Agyei Baffour, Dean of the School of Public Health at KNUST, said the collaboration had been underway informally for nearly a year and deserved formal recognition. “They made it clear they want to come over, interact, and extend what they do to other schools and departments,” he said.
Key areas of cooperation include staff and student exchanges, research collaboration, joint teaching initiatives, and grant proposal development.
Dr. Thomas A. LaVeist, Dean and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity at Tulane University, expressed Tulane’s intent to expand its global footprint.
“We have relations with universities around the world, and we are interested in expanding our relationship here in Ghana,” he said, adding that Tulane is keen on “exploring the works of the School of Public Health.”
KNUST Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson welcomed the partnership, describing it as a mutually beneficial journey.
“We place a high premium on this relationship. We are not just here to train professionals for Ghana or the sub-region, but we train international professionals,” she said. “We will be able to learn more from you while you also learn from us.”
She also highlighted the potential for collaboration to go beyond public health, expressing optimism about partnerships across other colleges within the university.
Other delegation members present at the meeting were Professor and Interim Chair Sudesh Srivastav, Professor(Assistant) Samuel Kakraba, and the wife of Tulane’s Dean, Ms. Bridgette Thomas LaVeist.
