MTN Ghana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to bridge the gap between higher education and the corporate technology landscape.
The partnership is aimed at promoting homegrown artificial intelligence, accelerating cutting-edge research and empowering female students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
As Africa's digital economy expands, the demand for localised tech solutions and industry-ready graduates continues to surge. Through the collaboration, MTN Ghana and KNUST seek to provide students with real-world exposure in emerging technology while addressing Ghana's unique socio-economic challenges.
Under the agreement, MTN will offer students experiential learning opportunities, including internships, industry-led training modules, hands-on digital projects and graduate recruitment pathways.
Aligning academic curricula
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Senior Manager for Digital Analytics and Monetisation at MTN Ghana, Mr Kwame Adu Manu, highlighted the need to align academic curricula with evolving corporate demands.
"We want to bridge that gap between industry and academia, and this is one of the excellent ways to do that," he said.
He said that through its Digital Analytics and Monetisation department, MTN plans to embed students directly into active AI initiatives, complemented by guest lecture series delivered by veteran telecom professionals.
Beyond skills development, Mr Manu said the initiative served a broader national imperative aimed at mitigating brain drain by incentivising top-tier talent to remain in Ghana.
"We want to build solutions for Africa and for Ghana to solve our own problems," he said, emphasising that true technological sovereignty required Africans to lead the development of AI tools tailored to regional needs.
Scholarships for top students
The Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor Christian Agyare, described the agreement as a testament to the university's commitment to collaborative research, dynamic teaching and sustainable innovation.
He noted that the partnership would allow faculty and students to lend their academic expertise to real-world operational challenges identified by MTN.
He announced that MTN would fund competitive scholarships for the top three graduating students in the university's Computer Science department.
"To actively encourage female participation in historically male-dominated fields, a dedicated award will also be presented to the overall best graduating female computer science student," he said.
Accountability
Professor Agyare said to ensure long-term impact and accountability, the collaboration would be jointly overseen by MTN and the Department of Computer Science, using a structured Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning framework to track milestones and address operational gaps.
He expressed optimism that the partnership would deliver enduring benefits for KNUST, MTN and the nation's digital future.
