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The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, is set to introduce a Festival of Innovation to showcase transformative solutions from its students and faculty members; a move aimed at scaling innovation from campus to country.
Announcing this during the opening of the university’s 9th Innovation and Career Fair, Vice Chancellor Prof. Richard Kwasi Amankwah said the new initiative will see the university’s football field converted into an open exhibition ground, with practical booths displaying student-led technologies that address real societal problems.
“This university is bursting with innovative ideas from both students and lecturers. We are now working toward hosting a full Innovation Festival where the public, industry players, and government can witness what we’re building here,” the Vice Chancellor said, adding that the move is part of UMaT’s vision to align academia, industry, and national development through actionable creativity.
The Vice Chancellor also announced the creation of a 24/7 Smart Services Center, where students can prototype ideas around the clock, and the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Lab, to prepare learners for the demands of the future workforce.
Further strengthening UMaT’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, the university is offering final-year students with promising projects an opportunity to complete their national service on campus—fully sponsored—to scale their ideas into commercially viable ventures.
“We are prepared to fund and incubate the most feasible innovations. We want to support our students to start something; not just apply for jobs,” Prof. Amankwah stressed.
Speaking on behalf of the CEO of Quantum LC as the Keynote Speaker, the Group General Manager of Quantum LC, Mr Kofi Owusu Archaw Arhinful challenged students to initiate, collaborate, and materialize; a three-step model for transforming ideas into enterprises.
Drawing from his company’s journey, he noted that most great ideas begin in informal, even chaotic spaces—but what matters is the commitment to follow through.
“Let your innovation be your introduction. Let your creativity open doors when certificates can’t,” he advised.
He added that “The difference between someone with a degree and someone with a breakthrough is action,”.
Dr. F.K. Gunney, CEO of Mining Tools Ghana and UMaT alumnus, urged students to redefine “employability.”
“Graduate employability must move beyond waiting for job offers. You must see yourselves as capable of employing yourselves,” he stated.
Dr. Gunney also emphasized innovation as a response to global societal collapse, encouraging students to “think smarter, sharper, and better,” and to turn academic ideas into scalable, impactful ventures.
The 9th Innovation and Career Fair, was held under the theme “Turning Ideas into Reality to Enhance Graduate Employability.” This year’s edition was a clarion call not just for employability, but for enterprise, as students were encouraged to evolve from job seekers to job creators.
Throughout the fair, student teams showcased projects in using AI to solve disability problems.
The UMaT Innovation and Career Fair was supported by the African Centre for Career Enhancement and skills support (ACCESS) Project under the direction of DAAD(Germany) and financial support by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
