The Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) and Kumasi Technical University (KsTU), Ghana, have agreed to begin faculty exchange programmes in engineering, supported by a logistics-swap arrangement.
The institutions also plan to promote industry engagement through the appointment of experienced and professional academics as “professors of practice”.
The agreements were reached during a five-day working visit by the KsTU leadership to LASUSTECH from 18 to 22 September 2026, aimed at advancing the existing partnership between the two universities.
Other areas of collaboration include joint international conferences, student innovation challenges, technology and innovation fairs, and collaborative research. Both institutions also agreed to profile their respective faculties and involve industry professionals in programme advisory committees to strengthen competency-based curricula, with engineering programmes serving as the pilot.
The Vice-Chancellors of both universities attributed the potential of the partnership to their shared institutional heritage, having evolved from polytechnics into universities. They described the collaboration as a long-overdue initiative with strategic significance for Ghana, Nigeria and the wider West African region.
The visit featured interactive sessions with academic departments, technical meetings with key stakeholders, laboratory inspections and facility tours. It also included a joint symposium, themed “Nigeria–Ghana Partnership: Driving Technological Education and Innovation”, and a visit to Badagry.
Professor Odusanya, Vice-Chancellor of LASUSTECH, said engineering would be the initial focus of the collaboration, but stressed that the partnership should also strengthen the capacity and competencies of non-teaching staff.
He emphasised the need for tangible outcomes beyond academic qualifications, identifying curriculum development, postgraduate programmes and problem-solving research as key priorities.
Professor Odusanya also set a 12-month timeframe for assessing progress. Among the indicators he proposed were joint research publications and the involvement of KsTU academics as external examiners for master’s programmes at LASUSTECH.
He further envisaged the development of new curricula beginning at postgraduate level and extending to doctoral studies, alongside staff exchanges, joint supervision and research designed to address practical challenges rather than focus solely on publications.
The KsTU delegation was led by its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gabriel Dwomoh. Other members were Professor Babamu Osman Halidu, Deputy Director of Internationalisation and Advancement; Mrs Ama Kyerewaa Boakye Nti, Acting Registrar; and Mr Isaac Owusu Ansah, Finance Director. The visit followed the memorandum of understanding signed by the two universities in 2023.
In his keynote address, Professor Dwomoh described technical education as an engine of innovation, arguing that national development depends on sustained attention to technology. He identified industry-aligned curricula, compulsory industrial internships, well-equipped laboratories and studios, and lecturers with industrial experience as essential to effective technical education.
He also criticised promotion criteria in Ghana and Nigeria for placing greater emphasis on doctoral qualifications than professional experience. According to him, technical universities should give greater recognition to “professors of practice” with decades of industry experience.
Professor Dwomoh further observed that both countries spend considerably less on technical and vocational education than the cited benchmark of 15–30 per cent. He expressed confidence that the partnership would strengthen technical education in both countries.
