The management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)last Friday held an interactive session dubbed ‘Akwaaba Night’ with International Students of at the Great Hall.
It was meant to provide warm Ghanaian hospitality to overseas students while also allowing management to hear about the obstacles and opportunities that such connections presented.
Professor Daniel Y.A. Duah, Acting Dean of International Programmes Office (IPO), in his remarks said KNUST had over 700 international students representing over 15 countries.
He added that KNUST currently had 217 active Memorandums of Understanding with its partners, according to him, adding that the IPO was concerned about the welfare of students, as a result, the office planned to establish an international centre to function as an ‘International Students Hostel’ to supplement international students’ housing needs.
He urged the students to take advantage of some of the chances available to them outside of the classroom when it came to engaging with campus life.
Professor Wilson Agyare, the Dean of Students (DOS), noted that the DOS office was established to give students the necessary welfare support services during their time at KNUST, and encouraged thestudents to come to the office if they were having problems with their welfare.
The President of the International Students Association (ISA), Onyinye Okoli, expressed her gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for hosting such an event to officially welcome ISA freshmen to KNUST.
She said the KNUST placed a high priority on prioritising and creating an environment to foster unity and healthy connections among its students, particularly international students.
Ms Okoli urged the students to take advantage of the changes that were presented to them and to form strong bonds with their international peers.
The Vice-Chancellor, ProfessorRita Akosua Dickson, told the students: “you decided to be educated in the kingdom of the golden stool; never forget that you are not alone.’”
She said KNUST would make them feel like they were home and rest assured them that management would continue to support them throughout their stay.
Prof. Dickson tasked the IPO to organise a ‘Pot Lab,’ in which students and representatives from each country would produce a dish for the public to sample.
This, she explained, would allow them to educate their tongues to eat a variety of worldwide dishes to thrive wherever they were.
She further promised KNUST’s continuous support to provide a conducive environment for them to study and conduct research.
The colourful event saw students sharing their experiences so far in KNUST as either international students, graduate students, or outbound or inbound exchange students.
Countries represented were Nigeria, Cameroun, UK, France, Germany, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Benin, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Zambia and Guinea, and South Sudan, among others.
