1.0       Internationalization Strategy Profile of Kumasi Technical University

Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) was established in 1954, and the mandate is to  provide higher education in engineering, science and technology-based disciplines, technical and vocational education and training, applied arts and related disciplines. To deliver on this mandate, internationalization plays a key role to foster relationships with other partners in the areas of teaching, research and skills development. KsTU aspires to increase its visibility and enhance its networking to promote collaborative research, teaching and learning. This aspiration is so important to the University as the strategies and targets set to achieve this is enshrined in the University’s Strategic Plan (2021 – 2025). The internationalization vision of KsTU is to be a leading global institution that shares it modus of operandi in University’s governance and learn from the best practices of other leading institutions to offer first class services to its clients and other stakeholders. Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) internationalization strategy is dedicated to science, technology, and entrepreneurship. By synergistically harnessing local, regional, and global-focused teaching, learning and research to make it a world class technical University. KsTU envisages to gain key impetus and stimuli for overcoming current challenges such youth unemployment, under development or specialist shortfalls through its internationalisation drive. Consequently, internationalisation would provide avenues for enriching the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains of staff, students and international partners.

Our internationalization strategy has been prepared after carefully analysing the institution’s strength to deliver on its mandate, research focus and existing relationships. Various internal stakeholders which include Deans, Directors and Key Officials of the University were consulted to develop the internationalization strategy to guide the University’s engagement with external partners to promote the internalization drive of the Institution. Internationalization has assumed a major position in higher education over recent years and is now firmly entrenched as globalization reality. Though academic circles have been outward looking (international research collaborations, conferences and student exchanges), recently internationalization has become a goal, rather than a consequence of normal academic activity. 

2.0       Goals of Internationalization Strategy

The main goal of the University’s Internationalization strategy is to promote the University’s vision of providing a first class technical, vocational and entrepreneurship education by offering the opportunity to our qualified graduates and employees to learn from our partners best practices that exists in other areas. To achieve this goal, the university internationalization strategy focuses on the following specific objectives:

• Attracting international students from diverse background
• Displaying and sharing research findings with other partners
• Increasing the employability of our students per European standards
• Increasing the capacity of the university’s human resource access to international research and funding opportunities.
• Increasing international knowledge transfer within the university and with external stakeholders.
• Creating multilingual and multicultural structure to bridge language barriers that exist between KsTU and their partners
• Strengthening KsTU relations with other universities that share similar culture and mandate.

3.0         Indicators of Internationalisation Strategic Goals

The indicators of KsTU’s strategic goals are two folds: 

(i)    Research (increasing the attractiveness for international scientists and increasing the visibility of research achievements and 

(ii)    Teaching (Internationally recognised degree programmes attractive to international students with visible networking of teaching and research and increasing labour market relevance of the degree programmes and employability of the graduates on the European and international labour market.

3.1       For research the following are the indicators:

• Number of professors appointed from abroad relative to the total number of professors
• Amount of procured third-party funding from international sponsors in relation to the total sum of third-party funds per annum
•  Amount of third-party funding for international projects with international cooperation partners in relation to the total amount of third-party funding per annum

3.2         For teaching the following are the indicators:

• Number of professors appointed from abroad relative to the total number of professors
• Number of international visiting researchers 
• Proportion of international students 
• Proportion of incoming international exchange students relative to the total number of students
• Proportion of outgoing exchange students and students with an international internship relative to the total number of students
• Number of lectures stays abroad undertaken by lecturers (Teaching Staff (TS) Mobilities) in relation to the total number of lecturers 
• Proportion of graduates with joint or double/multiple degree relative to the total number of graduates
• Proportion of graduates of foreign nationality relative to the total number of graduates
   

4.0       Scope of internationalization

The Internationalization of KsTU focuses on the following areas to increase the visibility and international presence of the University:

• Incoming and outgoing teaching and administrative staff mobilities
• Incoming and outgoing student mobilities
• Collaborative research with other university partners
• Joint curriculum development with partners
• Exchange of equipment and other materials

4.1       Incoming teaching and administrative staff

Teaching and administrative staff on mobility will have the opportunity to offer programme instructions that are taught in English also share their experiences with other faculty members to bridge the multicultural and language barriers that exist between countries. KsTU will ensure that equal opportunities are given to all kinds of people irrespective of their gender, race, physical stature and country of origin in accepting incoming and outgoing teaching and administrative staff. The University is also committed to providing all the facilities needed especially incoming staff who are physically challenged to make their stay comfortable. Selection of staff shall always be done in a transparent manner with clear criteria set in consultation with partner universities concerned.

4.2       Incoming and outgoing students’ mobility

In order to augment the technical, vocational and entrepreneurial skills of students and that of our partners, the University shall encourage students’ mobility.  In all cases, KsTU shall have an inter-institutional agreement with partner universities that spells out how academic credits obtained by students on mobility can be acceptable to each other.  Selection of students shall follow the same way and transparent manner as that of staff on mobility.

4.3       Collaborative research and networking

The University, as part of its internationalization drive, shall encourage collaborative research through students and staff mobilities. Incoming and outing teaching staff are expected to collaborate and network with partner universities to promote research and knowledge transfer. Graduate collaborative research shall also be encouraged. This will serve as mentee-mentorship programme for professors to deepen the research understanding of graduate students who are on mobility. 

4.4       Joint curriculum development, exchange of academic materials and equipment

Developing a joint curriculum is particularly important as it sets out the standards required by the partners. KsTU aspires to develop academic programmes by taking inputs from partner universities and industries to bridge the gap in curriculum disparities that exists between countries. Exchange of equipment and other academic materials shall also be promoted to make training, teaching and learning acceptable to partner universities

4.5 Exchange of equipment and other academic materials

Internationalisation activities involving the exchange of equipment and academic materials include sharing laboratory tools, software, and digital resources to enhance teaching and research. KsTU and partner institutions can also collaborate on access to virtual resources, donate older equipment, and exchange academic publications to enrich learning environments. These efforts promote resource optimization, knowledge-sharing, and strengthened global partnerships in education and research.
 

5.0 Internationalisation drive and visibility

KsTU internationalization drive seeks to project the image of the university and is an important part of the future development of the university. It includes all efforts and initiatives that facilitate bilateral or multilateral cooperation in research and teaching or practice and political consulting in engineering, science, technology, and entrepreneurship.

KsTU aspire to increase its visibility and international presence through joint proposal, research and curriculum development, staff and student exchange, joint development of programmes and exchange of equipment with universities that are outside the areas of Ghana. In achieving this, it has signed more than fifty Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with foreign Universities and Institutions. The internationalization strategy of KsTU envisages that the university will welcome a minimum of twenty-five (25) each of incoming students and staff as well as send thirty (30) outgoing students and staff to its partners on mobility.
 

5.1 Specific focus on mobility programmes

KsTU seeks mobilities which will focus on students, academic and administrative staff of KsTU staying at partner Institution while the academic and administrative staff of partner Institution provides teaching and training services at KsTU. Students and Staff from partner Institutions will also experience the culture and acquire different skills and knowledge existing in different environment within the Ghanaian context. 

There are multiple interdependent drivers behind KsTU Erasmus+ KA171 mobility, which is focusing on graduate employability and development of broad competencies and transferable skills in addition to subject-specific training, ‘international awareness’ being confirmed as a graduate attribute that is highly valued by employers, the availability of detailed information enabling prospective students to choose between Higher Education Institutions on the basis of their international opportunities and graduate employment rates, increasing competition between Institutions to attract the best students and to ascend national and international league tables, and (both driving and reflecting these trends) national policy frameworks. 

KsTU Erasmus + applications focus on two aspects of internationalization of direct relevance to KsTU students and academic staff in a typical Higher Education Institution: student learning/research placements overseas, and the impact of international mobility on teaching practice and the student experience. Practical strategies for developing intercultural awareness and enhancing employability are highlighted. The overall reasons are for the holistic development of the students and staff for personnel, and institutional national and international adaptation for the changing world.
 

6.0 Partnering

The commonalities and priorities of the KsTU and international partners are the basis to strengthen cooperation. Such cooperation would be cemented with a signed MoU between KsTU and the partner institution. KsTU seeks to partner with attractive partners based on common programmes and priority areas of both institutions. This means that partner universities and KsTU can have a long-lasting cooperation which can contribute to joint realization of aims and internationalization strategic goals. 

KsTU envisions to go beyond becoming a leading Technical Universities in Ghana and be known internationally for its entrepreneurial character and the training of critical workforce needs of industry. The University capitalises on the established international Office within the University to explicitly support KsTU’s vision of being the centre of excellence for technological and entrepreneurial development. The purpose of having common programmes run KsTU and partner Universities, is to enable students and teachers find common modules and programmes to teach or learn at both institutions. In doing so, the teachers and students from KsTU and partner institutions can experience working and learning in a new didactical and higher setting in Ghana and the partnering institution’s country and get to know new types of teaching environment that exist in both institutions.
 

7.0       Regional targets

KsTU shall consider the following regional zones to be their topmost priority in their internationalization drive based on their mandate as shown in the table below:The above regional target and partner countries are not exhaustive as the University will also consider other regions and countries not captured in this international strategy based on mutual understanding.

6.0       Contact Details

The above regional target and partner countries are not exhaustive as the University will also consider other regions and countries not captured in this international strategy based on mutual understanding.
 
8.0       Contact Details

1.    Dean,  International Affairs and Institutional Linkages 
Kumasi Technical University
Prof. Dr. Sarfo Mensah
Email:  sarfo.mensah@kstu.edu.gh
Telephone:  +233244871712

2.    Vice Dean IAIL & Erasmus Coordinator
Kumasi Technical University
Prof. Dr. Addo Koranteng
Email:  addo.koranteng@kstu.edu.gh
Telephone: +233268373735