O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chair in Technology Entrepreneurship and Youth Employability launched

The research chair hosted at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana and awarded to Prof Nathaniel Boso was launched on 13 October 2022.

The launch was officiated by the KNUST university leadership with representation from the South African High Commission to the Republic of Ghana; South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF); Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MESTI), Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology; senior technology entrepreneurs in Ghana; and staff and postgraduate students of KNUST.

This research chair is advancing research, training postgraduate students, and mentoring emerging researchers in technology entrepreneurship and youth employability. The chair’s focus is at the interface of technology entrepreneurship and agribusiness, financial inclusion, and health.

Piloting a model that leverages supervisory capacities across the continent, 10 doctoral and four masters students have already commenced their training under the research chair. In addition, a landscape scoping study on youth and employability, globally and on the continent is underway.

The O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) combine political, development and higher education objectives. It aims to honour a leading figure in the development of African unity; have a catalytic impact on the development of research infrastructure in recipient countries; and contribute to knowledge production and high-end skills in alignment with AU Agenda 2063 and STISA 2024. Ten (10) O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs across seven countries namely, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia have been awarded. The NRF and South Africa’s Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) with core partners, the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation, and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) have partnered with NRF sister agencies in the seven countries and the universities to implement the initiative.