President John Dramani Mahama has announced that government has earmarked GH¢100 million for Ghana’s 10 technical universities in the 2027 budget, with each institution expected to receive GH¢10 million.
The allocation, which will be sourced from the GETFund, is intended as seed funding to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), particularly in infrastructure development, research, and innovation within the technical universities.
President Mahama made the announcement when he opened the 2026 Applied Research Conference of Technical Universities of Ghana (ARCTUG 2026) at the Takoradi Technical University.
He said countries that are making rapid economic progress are those that have successfully linked education to industry and research to production.
“This conference comes at a critical moment in our national journey. Across the world, countries that are succeeding economically are those that have successfully connected education to industry, research to production, and innovation to enterprise,” he stated.
He added that modern economies are driven less by natural resources and more by ideas, skills, technology, and innovation.
Describing ARCTUG as an important national platform, the President said such engagements are key to Ghana’s industrial transformation and future competitiveness.
As part of the event, President Mahama also cut a commemorative cake to mark the 10th anniversary of the conversion of Ghana’s polytechnics into technical universities — a reform introduced during his previous administration.
“Exactly 10 years ago in this very auditorium, we took the bold decision to convert the polytechnics into Technical Universities. There were many naysayers, but today we can all be proud of the work we did together with then Education Minister, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang,” he said.
He noted that while progress has been made, more investment is still needed to strengthen infrastructure and improve learning outcomes.
“There is still more work to do in terms of infrastructure and other essentials that will improve learning outcomes. We therefore decided, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, to provide GH¢10 million seed funding to each Technical University in next year’s budget,” he emphasised.
President Mahama further urged technical universities to go beyond producing graduates for employment and focus on entrepreneurship and innovation.
“The future will not reward nations that merely consume technologies developed elsewhere. It will reward those that innovate, adapt, produce, and compete globally,” he stated.
He also linked the initiative to government’s broader STEM education agenda, which includes integrating science, technology, engineering, robotics, and artificial intelligence into the basic and tertiary education system.
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, assured that the ministry is working to ensure adequate funding for TVET to achieve its mandate.
Chairman of the Vice Chancellors of Technical Universities of Ghana, Prof. Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah, said the conference highlights the importance of innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer in national development.
He added that stronger partnerships between academia, industry, and government are essential for industrial transformation, noting that the conference aligns with Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy Agenda through skills development and applied research.
Vice Chancellor of Takoradi Technical University, Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun, also described technical universities as key drivers of national development, stressing their role in innovation and practical skills training.
Other stakeholders at the conference underscored the need for research, collaboration, and innovation to support Ghana’s long-term development goals.
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