The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has entered into a partnership with the Project Management Institute (PMI) Ghana to enhance the teaching and learning of project management as a program of study. This collaboration aims to bridge the gap between theory and industry, making KNUST students globally competitive after graduation.
The partnership is formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions. This initiative is driven by a recent survey indicating that approximately $100 million is lost from every billion-dollar physical project due to unprofessional and unethical practices or incompetence among project executioners.
Speaking to journalists after the signing ceremony, President of PMI Ghana, Frank Owusu-Asamoah, emphasized the importance of this collaboration in ensuring efficiency in global projects. “Project Management as a professional program of study at the tertiary educational level has therefore come in handy to assure both governments and private project owners of value for their investment,” he said.
Owusu-Asamoah noted that while project management is a relatively new area of study in Ghana, it is rapidly gaining popularity among students. To further this growth, PMI Ghana is partnering with renowned universities, including KNUST, to enhance both theoretical and practical aspects of the course.
KNUST is the second university to enter into such a partnership with PMI Ghana, following a similar MoU with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). Established 14 years ago, PMI Ghana is a prominent organization in Africa with a membership of 1,500.
It is the local chapter of PMI, which has a global membership of 700,000 committed to professional and ethical supervision, consultancy, and management of projects.