Imperial College London has officially launched Imperial Global Ghana, its first African hub, based in Accra, with a focus on advancing science, technology, and innovation on the continent. This marks the first permanent presence of a UK university in Africa dedicated to fostering research, entrepreneurship, and academic collaboration. The hub is a strategic addition to Imperial’s global footprint, joining its other hubs in Singapore and San Francisco, with plans to establish another in India by 2025.
The Ghana hub builds upon existing partnerships with the University of Ghana and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), aiming to strengthen collaboration across West Africa. Speaking at the launch, Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, emphasized the hub's mission to address global challenges such as climate change and antimicrobial resistance, while nurturing the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs in the region.
Key initiatives include the Imperial-Schmidt AI Fellows Programme, which connects early-career researchers from Ghana with Imperial’s Artificial Intelligence Centre in London, and the AIMS-Imperial Global Fellows Programme, designed to empower doctoral researchers to tackle pressing issues like urbanization and climate change. The hub also plans to integrate entrepreneurship programs, startup accelerators, and student placements to ensure practical applications of research.
Local experts, such as Dr. Harris Andoh from Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, have hailed the initiative as a significant boost to the nation’s research capacity. Dr. Andoh highlighted how this hub complements existing efforts, such as the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), and helps mitigate the challenges of underfunded research in Ghana.
By creating a space where local expertise meets global insights, Imperial Global Ghana aims to drive impactful innovation and strengthen the region’s academic and entrepreneurial ecosystem. This strategic initiative reflects Imperial College London's commitment to supporting Africa’s development through science and technology.
Article by RB Correspodent
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