FEBEIT EXECUTIVE DEAN, PROF THWALA, LEADS WSU DELEGATION ON BENCHMARKING EXERCISE TO RENOWNED GHANAIAN UNIVERSITY

One of the world's leading African universities in implementing one of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, proved an ideal source from which to draw best practices for WSU as the institution continues to pursue excellence in its teaching and learning project.

Led by Prof Wellington Didibhuku Thwala, the executive dean of WSU's Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (FEBEIT), a small delegation consisting of faculty departmental heads, one deputy head, a research fellow, and a lecturer visited the acclaimed Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, the capital city of Ghana, in December last year.

“KNUST is widely recognized as one of the top universities in Ghana and holds a strong global reputation for helping achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4, which is devoted to quality education. KNUST has a rich history, being almost 70 years old and currently housing over 90,000 students. Because it is a university that has stood the test of time, it was perfect for our benchmarking exercise,” said Thwala.

Most pertinent to the faculty’s visit to KNUST was to gain insight from one of the continent’s leading institutions regarding combating regional challenges; to form a long-lasting and mutually beneficial partnership to foster collaboration; explore opportunities for joint research, innovation, and development; lay down a platform for the facilitation of staff and student exchange programs; discuss and deliberate on the  Development of postgraduate qualifications in engineering, the built environment, and information technology.

Various KNUST departments, including civil engineering, mechanical engineering, construction technology and management, computer science, planning, land economy, and architecture, warmly welcomed the WSU delegates and familiarized the visitors with the finer details of the academic and qualification offerings.

One of the delegates, WSU HOD for Built Environment, Dr Nokulunga Mashwama, was especially impressed with some of the facilities on show.

“Additionally, the team explored the KNUST e-Learning Center, which supports distant and online learning programs across the university delivery centers. The E-learning platform at KNUST enables education without borders, offering extensive support to its academic community. We also visited specialized research centers, laboratories, and workshops to understand their contribution to the university's greater academic project,” said Mashwama.

Cementing the importance of the benchmarking exercise, Thwala said the visit was of strategic importance as it underscored the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in tackling Africa’s unique challenges, owing to WSU’s aspirations of becoming an impactful, Technology-infused African University.

By Thando Cezula