KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY VISITS KNUST

A five (5) member team from Kathmandu University (KU) Nepal, paid a three-day visit to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) from 23rd-25th November, 2015 as part of a jointly planned South-South collaboration activity under the Building Stronger Universities II Project. The team was made up of Dr. Sagar Raj Sharma (Lecturer & BSU Project Coordinator), Mr. Mukunda Prasad Upadhyay (Chief Administrative Officer at KU) Ms. Jyoti Pradhan ( Human Resource Manager at KU) Mr. Chandeswor Shrestha  (Finance Manager at KU), Ms. Rubina Pradhan (BSU Project Officer and Research Associate) and Mr. Christian Gregart  (Denmark Partner & Consultant).

The initiative which was spearheaded by the KU Denmark partner Christian Gregart was intended to offer opportunities for both KU and KNUST to learn and share knowledge on research administration and management support systems. Kathmandu University being a comparatively younger university, the visiting team particularly sought to learn and understand the structures and systems in place at KNUST that support research work and gather some best practices that could be replicated in their university.

As part of the visit, the team paid a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Professor William Otoo Ellis. The KNUST-BSUII team led by Professor Robert C. Abaidoo (BSUII Anchor) introduced the KU team to the VC and explained the purpose of the visit as that of a knowledge sharing encounter meant to enhance further collaborations between the two universities. The team also gave a brief overview of the administrative and management structures at Kathmandu University and thanked the VC for making time to meet them. The VC in welcoming the team noted that, “there are only two universities in Ghana; that is KNUST and the rest”, hence the team has made a great choice to have visited KNUST. Prof. Ellis gave a short overview of KNUST highlighting the collegiate system and the role of government which was quite different from what pertained at Kathmandu University.

Other activities marking the visit included meetings with the Finance officer, Mr. Yaw Nimo Baffour and the Deputy Registrar (Human Resource) Mr. Ben Andoh where the team learnt about the financial structures and systems at KNUST as well as the human resource management structures in place respectively. 

The team also visited the Office of Grants and Research (OGR) to learn about research administration systems at KNUST. The Director of OGR, Professor Peter Donkor gave a presentation on the role OGR plays in lessening the burden on researchers at various stages of undertaking sponsored research (pre-award, award and post-award). To familiarize themselves with research administration at the College level, the team paid a visit to the College of Engineering which is the only College with an established Research Management Office (CRO). Provost of the College, Prof. S. I. K Ampadu expressed his delight in hosting the KU team and gave a presentation on the research support system at the College.

He noted that the establishment of the College Research Office was necessitated by the numerous research grants or projects running in the College and the quest to promote research which is one of the core mandates of the university. With over 21 projects currently running in the CoE, it was incumbent on the College to have a designated office which will collate data on all research activities, ensure timely reporting and execution and disseminate research outputs.  The CRO which is directly under the Provost Office is headed by Ms Barbara Gyapong-Korsah, the Research Manager who is assisted by one National Service person. Through the efforts of the CRO, the first edition of the Engineering Research Report as well as other research publications had been issued since its establishment in 2013.

The KU team also visited the KNUST Central Library to learn about the research support system and electronic resources in place. The team was hosted by Mr. K. Agyen-Gyasi (Acting Librarian) and Mr. Richard Bruce-Lamptey (Head of E-Resources Department); who took the team through the online booking systems at the library and the E-resources available to students and all KNUST researchers.  The team also had an interaction with a number of postgraduate students to exchange ideas on the structures and support systems that promote student research in the university.

The 3 day visit ended with a tour of selected places on campus including the Faculty Area, Central, Classroom Block, Paa Joe Stadium, Halls of Residence and the Commercial Area.

At the end of the visit, the KU team expressed their profound gratitude to the entire KNUST team for the warm reception and the exchange of ideas. It is hoped that the visit will open more avenues for collaborations between KNUST and KU in the near future.

Reported by: Mrs. Hannah Adom Eyison (BSUII Project Administrator)