The newly inducted Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Christian Agyare, has pledged to reposition the University to produce graduates who create jobs rather than only seek employment.
Delivering his inaugural address after being invested as the 13th Vice-Chancellor of KNUST on Saturday, August 1, Professor Agyare said the future of higher education must be driven by innovation, entrepreneurship and practical solutions that address national and global challenges.
“A university that teaches without innovating; research without creating, has only done half its work,” he said. “The vision for KNUST is one where knowledge does not reside in lecture halls, studios and laboratories but walks out of our gates, changes the world and transforms lives.”
The investiture ceremony, held at the Great Hall of KNUST, was chaired by the Chancellor of the University, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and attended by government officials, traditional leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, heads of tertiary institutions, faculty, students and alumni.
Professor Agyare said his administration would review academic programmes and adopt innovative teaching approaches to ensure graduates possess entrepreneurial skills alongside academic excellence.
“We will reimagine our curricula. By adopting transformative teaching methods and dual-degree pathways, we can produce graduates who do not simply seek employment but create them. Graduates who are not only academically distinguished, but commercially astute and socially responsive.”
Seven Strategic Priorities
The Vice-Chancellor outlined seven strategic priorities that will guide his administration over the next four years.
They include transforming teaching and learning through innovation, promoting entrepreneurship and stronger university-industry collaboration, strengthening quality assurance and staff development, investing in sustainable infrastructure, integrating artificial intelligence into university operations, expanding international partnerships and improving financial sustainability.
He said KNUST would also deepen collaboration with industry, strengthen engagement with its alumni network and expand business incubation programmes to support the commercialisation of research and innovation.
According to him, the University would leverage the expertise of Professors of Practice while creating more opportunities for students and researchers to translate ideas into viable businesses.
Artificial Intelligence to Drive University Operations
Professor Agyare identified Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a key pillar of his administration, stressing that KNUST must lead Africa’s digital transformation in higher education.
“The question before us is not whether KNUST will engage with AI, but whether we will lead or be led.”
He said intelligent technologies would be integrated into teaching, research and university administration to improve services such as admissions, budgeting, staff recruitment and institutional planning.
Universities Must Drive National Development
Professor Agyare described universities as strategic national assets capable of driving economic transformation through research and innovation.
Drawing lessons from countries such as South Korea, China and Singapore, he said sustained investment in higher education had played a critical role in their economic success.
“The wealth of nations in the twenty-first century will be determined less by what lies beneath their soil and more by the ideas generated within their universities.”
He added that his mission is to pursue excellence in research, innovation, teaching and institutional stewardship through adaptive governance, strategic partnerships and technology-driven transformation.
Concluding his address, Professor Agyare called on students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners to work together to realise the University’s vision.
“Together, we will move from excellence to eminence, from promise to impact, and from aspiration to transformation. Together, we shall rise! Together, we shall excel! Together, we shall shape the future with our legacies.”
Professor Agyare succeeds Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, whose five-year tenure was marked by significant achievements in research, infrastructure development, digital transformation and the internationalisation of KNUST. As an internationally recognised pharmaceutical scientist and academic, Professor Agyare brings decades of experience in research, higher education leadership and university administration to the role.
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