Chief of Staff Calls for Stronger University-Industry-Government Collaboration

Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Dr. Julius Debrah, has called for deeper cooperation among universities, the private sector and government to strengthen innovation and accelerate Ghana’s economic development.

Dr. Debrah made the call on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama at the investiture of Professor Christian Agyare as the 13th Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Saturday, August 1, 2026.

He said Ghana could gain more from its research and human capital if academia, industry and government moved away from working in isolation and developed stronger partnerships.

According to him, universities often conduct research without sufficient engagement with industry, while businesses face technical challenges despite having academic expertise within reach. He also noted that graduates sometimes leave school with limited practical exposure to the industries they are expected to join.

Dr. Debrah said closing these gaps would help improve innovation, prepare graduates for the workplace and support Ghana’s industrialisation efforts.

He noted that government would continue to support research connected to national development priorities through the Ghana National Research Fund and other initiatives, but stressed that government funding alone could not deliver the scale of transformation required.

He therefore urged businesses to take a more active role in university development by contributing to curriculum design, offering meaningful internships, supporting laboratories, partnering on research and helping promising innovations move from the laboratory to the market.

Universities, he added, must also remain responsive to the changing needs of industry while preserving their academic independence and maintaining their focus on addressing real-world challenges.

Dr. Debrah further encouraged KNUST alumni to become more involved in the institution’s development by serving as mentors, investors, partners and advocates who can create stronger links between the University, industry and students.

He expressed optimism that stronger collaboration among the three sectors would enable KNUST and other Ghanaian universities to translate research into practical solutions, create new enterprises and contribute more significantly to national development.