President John Dramani Mahama has announced a GH¢100 million allocation for Ghana’s ten Technical Universities under the 2027 national budget, with each institution expected to receive GH¢10 million through GETFund support to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The President made the announcement at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Applied Research Conference of Technical Universities of Ghana (ARCTUG 2026), hosted by Takoradi Technical University.
According to President Mahama, the funding will support infrastructure expansion, research, innovation, and practical skills development within the Technical Universities.
“The future will not reward nations that merely consume technologies developed elsewhere. It will reward those that innovate, adapt, produce, and compete globally,” he stated.
He stressed that Ghana’s industrialization agenda cannot succeed without strong Technical Universities capable of producing highly skilled graduates and supporting entrepreneurship and job creation.
President Mahama further explained that modern economies thrive on innovation, technology, productivity, and skills rather than reliance on natural resources.
“This conference comes at a critical moment in our national journey. Across the world, countries succeeding economically are those that have successfully connected education to industry, research to production and innovation to enterprise,” he said.
The President also reaffirmed government’s commitment to TVET and noted that additional investment is required to improve learning outcomes across the Technical Universities.
“There is still more work to do in terms of infrastructure and other essentials that would improve learning outcomes,” he added.
President Mahama used the occasion to reflect on the 10th anniversary of the conversion of Ghana’s polytechnics into Technical Universities, describing the reform as a bold and transformative step in Ghana’s educational history.
“Exactly 10 years ago in this very auditorium, we took the bold decision to convert the Polytechnics into Technical Universities… today we can be proud of the work that we did,” he recalled.
He also linked the growth of Technical Universities to government’s broader STEM agenda, which includes introducing Artificial Intelligence and robotics into Ghana’s basic education curriculum to encourage more students to pursue science and engineering-related programmes.
Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu assured participants that government remains committed to ensuring sustainable funding for TVET education to enable the sector to effectively drive national development.
Chairman of the Vice Chancellors of Technical Universities of Ghana, Ing. Prof. Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah, described the conference as an important platform for promoting innovation, technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and applied research.
Speaking on the conference theme, “Advancing TVET for Innovation, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development,” he emphasized the growing importance of Technical Universities in supporting industrial growth and economic transformation.
“This theme reflects the growing recognition that sustainable national development depends significantly on strong technical capacity, innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurship development, and effective technology transfer,” he noted.
Ing. Prof. Adinkrah-Appiah also commended President Mahama for the conversion of the polytechnics into Technical Universities in 2016, describing the intervention as a historic reform that elevated the status of TVET in Ghana.
Vice Chancellor of Takoradi Technical University, Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun, highlighted the strategic role of Technical Universities in national development through practical education, applied research, innovation, and commercialization of projects.
“UNESCO recognizes TVET as a critical driver for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in advancing quality education, decent work, and economic growth,” he stated.
Other dignitaries at the ceremony included Joseph Nelson, Dr. Stephen Narh Wayoe, Abdel Razak Yakubu, and Dr. Yaw Bediako, who all emphasized the importance of research and innovation in accelerating Ghana’s development.
President Mahama later toured innovation exhibitions mounted by students, lecturers, and industry players from the various Technical Universities participating in ARCTUG 2026.
