The Kumasi Polytechnic has been admitted into the Association of African Universities (AAU) as a full member, with effect from July 1, 2011.

K-Poly becomes the 264th member and the second Polytechnic in Africa, after the Polytechnic of Namibian, to be accepted by the AAU as a full member. The AAU was formed in 1967 represents 264 elite tertiary institutions in 44 African countries and has the vision of being the representative voice of the African higher education community, both within and outside Africa. The Rector of the Kumasi Polytechnic, Professor Nicholas N. N. Nsowah-Nuamah, who announced this at the first meeting of the Polytechnic’s Convocation, said membership of the AAU would be beneficial to the institution.

Professor Nsowah-Nuamah said, the staffs of the Kumasi Polytechnic have the opportunity to participate in AAU academic exchanges and scholarship programmes and attend workshops and conferences where they can share experiences with their counterparts from other African universities and research institutions. “We can, through our affiliation with the AAU request for and receive academics with specialized expertise from AAU member institutions, at the expense of the AAU, which would be critical to the advancement of this institution. Through the AAU, I have travelled several times to Ethiopia, as a visiting professor of some universities over there and the rewards to me have been tremendous,” he said. According to Professor Nsowah-Nuamah, professors and lecturers of the K-Poly could also be approached by the AAU to provide expertise to other institutions at home and abroad and would be rewarded.

He noted that the potential benefits that AAU membership would accrue to the Kumasi Polytechnic were immense.

The Rector said, to increase the number of terminal degree holders, management would pursue opportunities at other academic institutions to run sandwich programmes, leading to PhD for groups of academic and senior members. “We shall also encourage staff to pursue distance learning courses toward obtaining Masters and PhD qualifications,” Professor Nsowah-Nuamah said. Professor Nsowah-Nuamah announced that the Registrar has been tasked to organize training and orientation for newly recruited Assistant Registrars and Administrative Assistants.

Professor Nsowah-Nuamah said, the Quality Assurance Unit of the Polytechnic, which is under the Office of the Vice Rector, will also organize similar programmes for newly recruited Lecturers and Research Fellows while a pedagogical training would be provided for all lecturers. “In early September academic management training will be organized for all heads of departments, faculties and Centres while in-service training would be organized for non-academic staff,” said the Rector.