It was a very joyous Christmas for Ghanaians and their friends in the UAE as they had another moment with the KNUST Authorities from Ghana during the second Graduation of the KNUST Dubai Campus last weekend. The Dubai Campus is the first inter-continental Campus of the KNUST. The Graduation Ceremony took place at the Residence of the Ghana Consul-General Alhaji Abudulai Yakubu in Umm Suqueim, Dubai and was presided over by the Consular Officer Mr Hussain Amandi.

Below is the speech by the KNUST Vice Chancellor Professor William Otoo Ellis.
SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE KNUST VICE CHANCELLOR AT THE SECOND CONGREGATION OF THE DUBAI VIRTUAL CAMPUS; 26TH DECEMBER, 2014 IN DUBAI.
Acting Consular General, Ghana Mission Dubai;
Registrar;
Acting Director, Institute of Distance Learning (IDL);
Coordinator, Dubai IDL Programme;
Executives of the Ghanaian Community in Dubai;
Staff of the Ghana Mission in Dubai;
Family Members of Graduands;
Distinguished Graduands;
Invited Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to the congregation of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) here in Dubai. I bring you greetings and well wishes of the festive period from the Governing Council, Management and Staff of the KNUST. Distinguish ladies and Gentlemen, Congregations the world over are special programmes organized by Universities to fulfil two key activities: first is to receive a report from the Vice Chancellor on activities undertaken by the University during the course of the year and second, to graduate students who have completed their programmes of study and satisfied all other requirements of the University.
Distinguish ladies and gentlemen, as you may be aware, this is the second congregation being organized here in Dubai and also outside the borders of Ghana by a Ghanaian public university involving students. This is very significant to us as an institution because it reflects our resolve to see the initiative started here blossom and grow into something bigger. For the year 2014, we programmed ourselves for three congregations, two have already taken place. The first was in June, in which we graduated more than 8,000 students mainly undergraduates from our six (6) Colleges and the Institute of Distance Learning (IDL). The second was on the 28th of November, when we had our Founders’ Day week in which we graduated 1,852 students mainly postgraduates. Out of this number, 26 were PhD graduands. The third is what we are having here today.
The University continues to make progress on all fronts and has become a leader when it comes to higher education in Ghana. During the first quarter of the year, we signed an MOU with the Ministry of Health bringing all Diploma awarding Health training Institutions in Ghana under the mentorship of KNUST. By this arrangement, the KNUST has the responsibility of ensuring the highest standards of academic excellence and also the graduation and issuance of academic Certificates to students of these institutions. On September 15th, the University commissioned its Accra City Campus and IDL Learning Centre at Kwabenya giving a new identity to KNUST in Accra. It is a seven (7) storey block with several lecture halls, syndication rooms and offices.
Universities are established to spearhead human capital development and economic growth of nations. This is done through teaching, research, innovation and entrepreneurship training among others. Over the years, the KNUST has been at the forefront of this agenda. The University once again moved the agenda forward by being the first higher education institution in the country to establish “Business Incubators” to transform ideas and innovations into businesses. On the 4th of December, we formally commissioned the Kumasi Business Incubator (KBI) project, a collaboration between the Ministry of Communication, the World Bank and our Centre for Business Development (CBD).
KNUST as a teaching and research institution places a lot of premium on postgraduate training. In the light of this, the University has spent 5.2 million euros to establish a state of the art Centralized Research facility to move research to the next level. The November congregation has also been dedicated solely to the graduation of candidates in our graduate programmes. We have also given identity to postgraduate training with the commissioning on December 19th of an ultra-modern J. K. Siaw Agyapong block for the School of Graduate Studies (SGS). The project was financed and constructed by Dr. J. K. Siaw Agyapong, the CEO of Jospong Group of Companies as his contribution to graduate training and the growth of KNUST.
KNUST’s international stature continues to grow with its expansion into other international communities especially within the sub-region. Using the International Distance Learning Platform (IDLPlat) which was launched in 2012 here in Dubai, the University through the IDL has expanded into Nigeria through an arrangement with ALL OVER CENTRAL Polytechnic of Nigeria. The first matriculation was held at KNUST campus on 22nd November. Further linkages have also been established with the National Polytechnic Bamenda, Cameroun and our Business School leading to the signing of an MOU on the 18th of December.
The University continues to strengthen its relationship with industry with the commissioning of a magnificent shopping mall known as the Jubilee Mall on campus on the 19th of December. This is the first ultra-modern shopping mall of international standard to be established in Kumasi, a joint initiative between HFC bank and KNUST and a reflection of Academia-Industry partnership.
This evening, the spotlight is on Dubai more especially the graduands from our Dubai campus. As I have already indicated, this is the second congregation and we are graduating 13 students in BSc (Hons) Mechanical Engineering. These are: ASANTE ERIC AARON, GANKU FRANK YAW - first class honours and ADEI JOSIAH KWAKU, ANAMAN DANIEL SURONIPA, ANKRAH JEREMIAH, ASHONG JONATHAN, BOADU MICHAEL DEGRAFT, BOATENG RIHARD KOJO, GANKU CHRISTIAN KWAME, MENSAH ELLIS NII AKWEI, NKRUMAH TONY TOM KOFI, SULAIMAN IBN SMITH and ABOTSI ELIKPLIM HOPEY - second class honours. We are very proud of our graduates for their excellent performance. The initiative here is still at its infant stages and we have the firm believe that with the hardwork, commitment and dedication shown so far we will grow from strength to strength as the years go by. We believe that when the history of the University is written with respect to its international exposure and growth, the Dubai Virtual Campus would serve as the cornerstone from where it all begun.
Now a word to my proud graduands. You have made it, CONGRATULATIONS. You have made yourselves proud today, you have made your families proud and you have made your lecturers and the University also proud. Once again CONGRATULATIONS. However, this should not be the end. Currently, we live in a knowledge economy and the desire to acquire new knowledge and innovate continues to increase every single moment, thus broaden your horizon and move up the knowledge ladder for this is one of the keys to making yourself competitive in this present environment. Always remember that you are a product of one of the best Science and Technology Universities in the world and thus go out there and impact your generation. Also remember to show appreciation to all those who have supported you along the way. To them I say well done and CONGRATULATIONS.
Finally, the Lord bless you and keep you and make HIS face shine upon you and on everything you are involved in. May the year 2015 be an exceptional year of God’s favour. For all present, I take this opportunity on behalf of management and on my own behalf to once again wish you a joyous and spirit filled season. God bless you and thank you.

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Ref: EMIL AKUMAH
Photographs show Professor Ellis declaring the Assembly open; Vice Chancellor Prof Ellis with Emil Akumah and other Graduand; and a Group Picture of the Graduands with their Certificates.