Researchers at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) stand to gain wider access to continental research networks and funding opportunities following a working visit by the University’s Office of Grants and Research (OGR) to the University of Ghana (UG).
The delegation, led by Professor Jerry John Kponyo, Director of OGR, held four engagements with the Secretariat of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), the leadership of UG’s Research, Innovation and Development Directorate, and the Vice-Chancellor.
At the ARUA Secretariat: turning membership into participation
ARUA now counts 23 member universities, with KNUST having joined in 2023. The visit sought to translate that membership into active participation in the Alliance’s programmes.
Professor John Owusu Gyapong, Secretary-General of ARUA, received the team alongside Professor Jane Ambuko, Director of Research and Training; Dr Blessed Ashmond, Executive Assistant; and Mrs Ewuraba Addo, Programmes Manager.
Prof. Gyapong opened with a presentation on the Alliance’s work and flagship initiatives. He traced ARUA’s formation in 2015 to a central question about Africa’s development agenda.
“The question was how can ARUA support the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals through the research of African universities,” he said.
Prof. Gyapong outlined the Alliance’s main initiatives, including the ARUA Centres of Excellence, ARUA-Guild Clusters, doctoral training support and mid-career fellowships. He highlighted constraints in Africa’s research capacity, noting that the continent needs to produce about 10,000 PhDs annually, underscoring the Alliance’s researcher training agenda.
Prof. Kponyo highlighted several entry points for KNUST, noting that Centres of Excellence, cluster participation and fellowship calls provide channels through which membership can be translated into tangible outcomes.
The KNUST delegation also urged ARUA to maintain capacity building for research managers as a standing priority, arguing that strong research management systems determine whether member institutions can successfully attract and deliver externally funded projects.
Prof. Kponyo concluded the session by affirming KNUST’s commitment to engaging more actively in the Alliance’s initiatives
With the Pro Vice-Chancellor: structuring a research office
Professor Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development at UG, met the team together with Mrs Cynthia Adu, Deputy Registrar.
Discussions focused on how UG structures and manages its research, innovation and development portfolio. The timing was significant as KNUST continues implementing its new Act and developing its Statutes while pursuing its strategic shift from excellence to eminence.
Prof. Asante, drawing on his 15 years of university administration experience, shared lessons that have contributed to UG’s successes.
“You have the opportunity to take some of our hard learnings and leapfrog ahead in your development journey,” he said.
With the Directorate: benchmarking, office to office
Professor David Dodoo-Arhin, Director of Research and Innovation at UG, met the OGR team alongside his deputy and heads of units within the Directorate.
The two teams compared operational systems, workflows, staffing structures and service delivery models.
Prof. Dodoo-Arhin recounted the Directorate’s growth, challenges and strategies for overcoming them. One of the most significant hurdles, he said, was establishing a career progression pathway for research development officers, professional staff responsible for grants management, compliance and research support.
UG subsequently engaged the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), which approved the proposed structure. Research support staff at the university now have a clearly defined progression pathway.
Courtesy call: a case for collaboration over competition
The visit concluded with a courtesy call on Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, who received the delegation alongside Dr Elizier Ameyaw-Buronyah, Director of Public Affairs.
Prof. Kponyo thanked the Vice-Chancellor for the warm reception and candid exchanges, emphasising the importance of institutional collaboration.
“We believe strongly that collaboration is very important. If we choose to work together, what we stand to gain is far greater than what we gain if we compete,” he said.
Prof. Amfo, who also serves as Vice-Chair of the ARUA Board of Vice-Chancellors, pledged continued support for KNUST’s participation within the Alliance.
She said UG’s vision centres on achieving global impact and that engagement and partnerships remain one of the University’s strategic priorities for addressing pressing local and global challenges.
She concluded with best wishes for KNUST’s Office of Grants and Research and the researchers it supports.