On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, a delegation from the Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH), Sweden, paid a courtesy call on Prof. (Mrs.) Augustina Angelina Sylverken, Vice-Dean of the International Programmes Office (IPO) at KNUST, as part of an official visit to the University aimed at exploring the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between KNUST and BTH.
The delegation comprised Prof. Niklas Lavesson, Professor of Software Engineering and Country Director for Ghana–Tanzania; Mr. Gurudutt Velpula, Director of Internationalisation; Prof. Martin Andersson, Professor of Industrial Economics and Dean of Engineering and Prof. Kwadwo Mensah-Darkwa, Vice-Dean, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering. The visit reflected the commitment of both institutions to strengthening academic cooperation and transforming the signed MoU into impactful collaborations.
Welcoming the delegation, Prof. (Mrs.) Augustina Sylverken expressed appreciation for the visit and emphasized the importance of building strong international partnerships that promote research, innovation, and academic exchange. She noted that although the MoU was signed about a year ago, the current visit marked a significant step towards its active implementation.
Discussions during the meeting centred on identifying strategic areas of collaboration, including student and staff mobility programmes, joint research projects, collaborative postgraduate research initiatives, and multidisciplinary partnerships across Departments within the College of Engineering. Emphasis was placed on fostering impactful and mutually beneficial collaborations capable of addressing shared academic and industrial challenges.
The meeting also underscored the need to strengthen institutional linkages between BTH and the IPO to ensure effective coordination of future activities under the partnership. Additionally, discussions explored opportunities for the inclusion of non-teaching staff in future exchange and capacity-building programmes, recognising the important role administrative staff play in supporting internationalisation efforts.
Prof. (Mrs.) Sylverken further commended the delegation for their commitment to internationalisation and reaffirmed KNUST’s readiness to work closely with BTH towards achieving the objectives of the MoU.
The courtesy call formed part of a broader programme during the delegation’s visit to KNUST, which included engagements with the College of Engineering, discussions on collaborative research and academic partnerships, laboratory visits, and meetings with key stakeholders of the University.
Present at the meeting were, Prof. Yesuenyeagbe Atsu Kwabla Fiagbe, Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Eric Kwame Anokye Asare, Lecturer, Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Miss Gifty Antoinette Hukpati, Project Communication Officer, KEEP, Mrs. Evelyn Safowaa Asante and Patricia Frimpong Manso, both from the International Programmes Office.
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