Scancom PLC, which operates as MTN Ghana, has strengthened its collaboration with the Department of Computer Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST), to support student innovation and create internship and employment opportunities.
Under the arrangement, students will develop solutions to technical and operational challenges presented by the telecommunications company as part of their final-year projects. MTN Ghana representatives are expected to help assess the projects and reward outstanding work.
Plans also include awards for the best-performing graduating Computer Science student based on Cumulative Weighted Average (CWA), the best graduating female student and the student with the best artificial intelligence (AI) project.
The Dean of the International Programs Office, Professor Edmund Ekuadzi, said the collaboration followed several months of discussions between the university and the company.
“Our colleagues from SCANCOM are here to put into effect conversations that we have been having with them over the last couple of months,” he said.
Professor Ekuadzi said the arrangement would provide internships and possible employment opportunities, helping students gain industry experience before and after graduation.
He said collaboration between universities and industry was important in developing practical skills and preparing students for the changing demands of the technology sector.
MTN Ghana’s Senior Manager for Digital Analytics, Kwame Adu Manu, said the proposed awards would recognise different forms of achievement and encourage students to develop practical solutions.
“The vision is three-way,” he said.
Beyond rewarding academic excellence, Manu said the initiative would encourage more women to pursue careers in technology.
“The second one is we want to get more females into technology,” he said.
The AI category would recognise students’ ability to develop useful applications, including those whose practical skills might not be fully reflected in their academic performance.
“Sometimes you have students who may not be academically excellent, but they can build,” he said.
Manu said the company wanted to support projects that demonstrated the practical value of student innovation and could be adopted by businesses and other organisations.
He expressed hope that the collaboration would produce applications capable of attracting interest from MTN Ghana’s leadership and other industry stakeholders.
KNUST Vice-Chancellor Professor Christian Agyare said the collaboration would enable students and faculty members to apply their knowledge to challenges facing the telecommunications industry.
He welcomed the proposed awards, particularly the recognition of outstanding female students, saying they could encourage greater participation in science and technology programmes.
Professor Agyare also highlighted potential employment opportunities arising from the collaboration.
“We are going to recruit some of these students after their graduation,” he said.
He said the partnership would help align students’ skills with industry needs and strengthen the connection between academic training and professional practice.
Story: Alice Laura Kyerewaah Prempeh Photos: Isaac Kwaku Duah
