President John Dramani Mahama has urged Ghana’s technical universities to realign their academic programmes to support government’s drive to strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education as part of broader efforts to transform the country’s economy.
He made the call while addressing the 4th Biennial Applied Research Conference of Technical Universities held in Takoradi on Tuesday, where he outlined a series of interventions aimed at strengthening technical and vocational education across the country.
The President announced that government will allocate GHS10 million each to the ten public technical universities in the 2027 national budget. The funding, he said, will be used to expand infrastructure, upgrade laboratories and improve equipment to ensure the institutions meet the mandate envisioned when polytechnics were upgraded into universities.
He stressed that technical universities must position themselves as key drivers of Ghana’s knowledge-based economy by prioritising practical training, industry collaboration and skills development aimed at reducing youth unemployment.
“You must focus on hands-on, competence-based technical and vocational training aligned with the German model,” he emphasised.
President Mahama further announced plans to establish two additional technical universities in Jasikan in the Oti Region and Techiman in the Bono East Region.
He also revealed that a new University of Science and Technology will be established in the Savannah Region as part of efforts to expand access to higher education, particularly in northern Ghana.
According to him, the expansion will be supported by the creation of a dedicated TVET Fund to strengthen science-based and technical education nationwide.
“The new universities will be the bridge between the world of science and industry. They will forge a symbiotic relationship with industry by utilising industrial resources for innovation and technological advancement,” the President said.
He emphasised that technical universities remain central to addressing youth unemployment by equipping graduates with practical, industry-relevant skills, adding that the long-term goal is to shift Ghana’s economy from producing job seekers to job creators.
The President also referenced earlier investments in engineering training facilities, including the provision of modern laboratories at the Takoradi and Kumasi campuses. The facilities, he noted, include six specialised labs per institution covering electronics, advanced manufacturing, solar and wind energy technologies.
