The Cape Cost Technical University (CCTU) has held Its Maiden Innovation Fair as part of activities marking Its 40th Anniversary celebration. The event, which was held on the theme: “Innovate for Impact: Bridging Academia and Industry for National Development”, had Ing. Prof. Peter Appiah Obeng of the Ghana Institution of Engineering as the Keynote Speaker. 

Speaking at the Innovation Fair, Prof. Obeng cautioned that Ghana’s innovation ecosystem faced a deepening divide between universities and industry, one he described not as a “gap” but a widening “innovation gulf.” He mentioned that groundbreaking research produced on university campuses rarely reached the industries, communities or markets that could benefit from it.

He noted that, while students and faculty developed prototypes in areas such as solar irrigation and water-efficient farming, many local businesses continued to import foreign technologies that were often unsuitable or overpriced. This, he argued, had created a cycle in which student innovations earned grades and academic promotions but stagnated in laboratories, leaving farmers and manufacturers dependent on external solutions. “The innovations are there, but they remain locked behind university gates while our industries struggle,” he said.

He stressed that the consequences of this disconnect were far-reaching, contributing to slow industrial growth, unnecessary import costs, and missed opportunities for local entrepreneurship. According to him, universities and industry remained largely unaware of each other’s needs, with researchers working in isolation and businesses hesitant to consider homegrown technologies. “The issue is compounded by limited funding for applied research and a persistent mistrust between academia and the private sector”, he explained. Universities are often viewed as “ivory towers,” while academics see industry as driven solely by profit, making sustained collaboration rare” Prof. Obeng added.

Prof. Peter Appiah Obeng argued that this gulf could be narrowed if universities aligned their research more closely with industry priorities, if companies invested time and expertise in mentoring students, and if academic reward systems began to value patents and problem-solving as much as publications. Though funding remained a major hurdle, he pointed to examples such as the University for Development Studies’ work with farming communities in northern Ghana as evidence that meaningful impact was possible even with modest resources, provided there was commitment on both sides.

He also urged the government to support industry-sponsored research through tax incentives and to streamline processes for commercialising university-developed technologies. Students, he said, must view themselves as innovators even before graduation, and industry must open its doors to emerging talent rather than relying reflexively on imports. “Today’s student,” he reminded the audience, “is tomorrow’s innovator.”

Describing the Maiden Innovation Fair as a test of the country’s resolve, Prof. Obeng said every prototype on display represented a potential bridge across the gulf. He called on stakeholders to ensure that the innovations did not end up forgotten after exhibitions and competitions. Citing Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s call for Ghana to “face forward,” he concluded that the nation must move toward a future in which it not only consumed technology but created and exported it. “Ghana does not lack ideas or talent, only the connections needed to turn them into solutions”, he said.

The Maiden Innovation Fair showcased products and inventions, cutting across fields such as fashion and textiles technology, hospitality management, civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, construction technology and management, renewable energy technology, food science and postharvest technology, etc., affirming the University’s strength and ability in producing future innovators who impact the nation and the global community.

Prototypes and products of students and external innovators at the Fair on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, included solar-powered tricycle, electronic motorbike, solar refrigerator silo, knockdown shelter for medical emergencies, solar cooker, bio-digester, battery-powered wheelbarrow machine, street sweeper, bridges, trailer, agricultural wheel sprayer, solar food dryer, fufu pounding machine, assorted beverages and dishes, stunning textile and fashion designs and many more.

Gracing the event were the Chairman of the University Governing Council, Prof. Isaac Kwame Donkwi; Prof. Kwaku Adutwum Ayim Boakye, the Vice-Chancellor; Prof. Emmanuel Kwaw, the Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor; Dr. Anthony Turkson, the Registrar; Prof. Charlse E. Oppon, the Chairman of the Innovation Fair Committee; Dr. Kwame Anane-Fenin, the Director of EDIC; staff; and students of the University. Other guests included students from invited senior high/technical schools, external innovators, industry partners and entrepreneurs such as Soloid Home Appliences, GRATIS Foundation, Cape Coast Technical Institute, SmartWatt Company Ltd., Ghana Enterprises Agency, Biriwa Technical Institute, G-HUB Foundation, Asuansi Technical Institute, and COA Manufacturing Limited Co.

Source: Directorate of Public Affairs

Date: 26/11/25