The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) has made a commitment to help provide guidance for Ashesi's new Engineering Programme starting in September 2015. In a short ceremony held at the UMaT campus in Tarkwa, the two universities signed an affiliation agreement that will see UMaT serve as a mentor for Ashesi’s Mechanical, Electrical and Computer Engineering programmes.
Ashesi’s groundbreaking new engineering majors, with an emphasis on design, problem solving, and entrepreneurship, will help redefine engineering education in Africa and drive the important innovations that Africa needs. The program will educate and prepare young women and men to develop engineering solutions that will address some of Africa's pressing problems.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ashesi President Dr. Patrick Awuah Jr. explained that partnering with UMaT was a decision based on the shared values of the two institutions – quality, teaching philosophy and spirit of collaboration. “Engineering is an extremely important function in any country, so we have approached this programme with a great deal of care,” Dr. Awuah explained. “We decided to partner with UMaT because we share the same philosophy of teaching, belief in quality and spirit of collaboration. I believe that together we can strengthen engineering education on the continent.”
The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) started as the Tarkwa Technical Institute on 3rd November 1952, "with a vision to become a centre of excellence in Ghana and Africa for producing world-class professionals in the fields of mining, technology and related disciplines."
“The University of Mines and Technology is Ghana’s best publicly funded university, and Ashesi’s decision to choose us as mentors highlights this,” said Professor Jerry Kuma, Vice Chancellor of UMaT. “We look forward to working with Ashesi to move education in Ghana forward, and believe this will be a great symbiotic partnership.”
Ashesi believes that a high quality science and engineering education, based on best practices from world-class institutions, can have a long-term sustained impact in Africa. By educating graduates who can build critical infrastructure, start new businesses that create jobs, develop products designed to meet the needs of local communities, and manufacture products for export, we aim to help economies grow and improve lives.