On Tuesday, 20th May 2025, Ms. Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to Ghana, paid a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, at the KNUST Council Chamber. The visit formed part of the Trade Envoy’s broader mission to deepen UK-Ghana bilateral relations in the areas of education, innovation, and trade, while exploring new pathways for sustainable development.
Ms. Ribeiro-Addy was accompanied by a team of key officials, including Ms. Giselle Agyare, Country Director for Ghana; Mr. Michael Taabavi, Infrastructure and Energy Advisor at the UK’s Department for Business and Trade; and Mr. Cecil Adrian Sampson, Political Officer at the British High Commission.
During the meeting, Ms. Ribeiro-Addy commended KNUST for its outstanding contributions to research, entrepreneurship, technical training, and transnational education, particularly through its renowned engineering and business programmes. She highlighted the successful completion of the first phase of the UK-Ghana Transnational Education Programme—a joint initiative between the Department for Business and Trade and the British Council.
She further noted that Phase Two of the programme would focus on capacity building for institutions and regulatory bodies, and the development of standardised partnership frameworks with UK higher education institutions. She affirmed the UK’s eagerness to collaborate more closely with institutions like KNUST in areas such as skills development, research commercialisation, and student mobility.
In her remarks, Professor Mrs. Dickson warmly welcomed the delegation and reaffirmed KNUST’s strong commitment to international cooperation and innovation-led development. She emphasised the importance of building human resource capacity to equip professionals for the rapidly evolving global technological landscape. She further reiterated KNUST’s mandate in training international professionals, noting that initiatives like these are critical to empowering youth and ensuring they make meaningful contributions to society.
Both parties agreed on the need to foster innovation and strengthen bilateral ties through higher education, particularly in the areas of capacity building, standardised administration, and strategic collaboration.
Also in attendance were Mr. Andrews Kwasi Boateng, Registrar; Prof Eameranda Manful, Vice Dean of the International Programmes Office; Professor Eric Appau-Asante, Director of the KNUST E-Learning Centre; Professor Kingsley Opoku Appiah, Vice Dean of the KNUST School of Business; Professor Hannah Vivian Osei, Professor in the KNUST School of Business; as well as Professor Esmeranda Manful, Vice Dean; Mrs. Yvonne Baiden, Senior Assistant Registrar; Ms. Ernestine Oheneba Danso, Collaborations and Partnerships Officer; and Mr. Attah Nyame Essampong, Visibility and Communications Officer; all from the International Programmes Office.
Following the meeting, the delegation visited the KNUST Museum and embarked on a brief vehicle tour of the university’s key facilities. The University expresses its deep appreciation to the UK High Commission and all partners involved for making this visit a success, and looks forward to future engagements that will further enrich UK-Ghana relations in education, innovation, and trade.
