KNUST Explores Health Innovation Partnership With AMREF International University.
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, has taken a significant step toward strengthening international collaboration in health innovation and entrepreneurship by hosting a delegation from AMREF International University, together with representatives from the Africa Health Collaborative.
The learning visit was aimed at sharing experiences and best practices as AMREF International University prepares to establish a Health Innovation Hub. The delegation sought to understudy KNUST’s innovation ecosystem, particularly its approach to entrepreneurship development and the integration of innovation into academic and professional training.
Speaking during an engagement with KNUST’s International Programmes Office (IPO), Prof. Duncan Irungu, Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at AMREF International University, explained that the visit was intended to gain practical insights into how KNUST structures and manages its health innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives.
“We are here to learn from what is already working,” Prof. Irungu said, noting that KNUST’s experience would help inform the rollout of AMREF’s planned Health Innovation Hub. He added that the visit also reinforced an existing relationship between the two institutions and opened doors for collaboration beyond health entrepreneurship. “This is an extension of friendship, and we are open to learning in other areas as well,” he stated.
Welcoming the delegation, the Dean of the International Programmes Office, Prof. Edmund Ekuadzi, highlighted KNUST’s strong commitment to entrepreneurship and innovation as key drivers of technological development and job creation, particularly for young people.
“At KNUST, we are not training graduates solely for the local market, but for the global space,” Prof. Ekuadzi said. He emphasized the university’s focus on equipping students with adaptable and transferable skills that prepare them for diverse professional environments.
Prof. Ekuadzi encouraged the AMREF delegation to explore opportunities for formal collaboration, including the possibility of entering into memoranda of understanding that would allow both institutions to share expertise, resources, and services. He noted that while public health remains a central area of interest, potential partnerships could extend to other relevant fields.
He also invited the delegation to tour additional facilities across the university to identify other areas that could support future joint initiatives.
By: Aboagye Yaw Ankomah