By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, Nov. 04, GNA – The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has opened the 2025 International Ideas Summer School and Trainer of Trainers Workshop with participants drawn from Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tunisia, Rwanda, Kenya and Germany.
It is under the theme: “Decent Work and Economic Growth: Exploring Solutions to Youth Unemployment, Skill Gaps, and SME Formalisation in the Global South.”
Organised by the African Centre for Career Enhancement and Skills Support (ACCESS-Ghana), the event brings together over 80 in-person participants and more than 500 virtual attendees from across Africa and Europe.
Prof. David Asamoah, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, in his opening address, welcomed participants to the campus and commended ACCESS-Ghana for spearheading initiatives that connected academia with industry to promote employability and entrepreneurship.
He stated: “At KNUST, we believe that university education must go beyond the awarding of degrees.
“It must equip learners with the competencies, mindset, and adaptability required for the world of work and indeed, for the creation of work.”
Prof Asamoah emphasised that the theme of the summer school was both timely and relevant, reflecting global concerns over high youth unemployment, widening skill gaps, and the dominance of informal enterprises across the Global South.
Prof Asamoah said: “Africa today is home to the world’s youngest population. Every year, millions of young men and women graduate full of hope, creativity, and ambition.
“Yet, too often, they encounter a labour market that is either saturated, informal, or unprepared to absorb their talents.”
The Pro Vice-Chancellor lauded the ACCESS project, coordinated by Leipzig University in Germany and funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) under the Exceed Initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The project, which operates in seven African universities, seeks to enhance employability through research, digital skills development, entrepreneurship training, and career support.
He described the summer school as a “living laboratory of ideas” that would inspire collaborative solutions to one of Africa’s defining challenges – bridging the gap between skills and employment.
He said: “The challenge of youth unemployment and skill gaps cannot be solved by governments or universities alone.
It requires a collective effort, a new social compact that brings together education, industry, and communities.”
The event features keynote presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions focusing on employable skill sets, productivity, SME formalisation, and decent work conditions, all linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8.
Experts from academia, industry, government and international organisations are expected to share insights on sustainable job creation and inclusive growth.
According to Dr. Ralph Nyadu-Addo, the Coordinator of ACCESS-Ghana, the initiative provided a platform for young scholars, researchers, and professionals to develop innovative solutions for employability and entrepreneurship.
The programme will climax with the IN4IN International Conference on November 11, 2025, bringing together additional participants and partners to further discussions on innovation and inclusion in Africa’s labour market transformation.
Mr. Robert Meyer, a Representative of Leipzig University, said the aim of ACCESS was to improve the employability of graduates from African universities.
“With this team of young people, we want to work on ideas they shared when they applied for the programme and to encourage them to put these ideas together in the form of proposals to implement as projects,” he explained.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Benjamin Mensah