As part of efforts to strengthen collaboration between the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Engineering Education Project (KEEP) in Ghana, the African Center of Excellence in Internet of Things (ACEIoT), and the implementation of the AI and IoT incubation hub project, a delegation from ACEIoT visited KEEP from January 20 to 24, 2025.
The team, led by Prof. Damien Hanyurwimfura, Acting Director of the Center, included Dr. Evaritse Twahirwa, Lecturer and Mentorship Coordinator, and Ing. Desire Ngabo, Head of the IoT Laboratories, Incubation Hub, and Training. The purpose of the visit was to study the operations of the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL) as a model for establishing a similar facility at the University of Rwanda.
This visit was organized under the existing memorandum of understanding that UR has signed with KNUST for collaboration, including joint research seminars, grant applications, student and faculty exchange programs, and research projects, among others.
Under this collaboration, an IoT and AI Applied Research Results Commercialization and Incubation Hub project has been jointly implemented, and the trip was funded by this project.

The delegation, alongside KEEP’s management team led by Deputy Lead Prof. Kwadwo Mensah-Darkwa, paid a courtesy call to the Provost of the College of Engineering, Prof. Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko.
During the meeting, Prof. Biritwum emphasized the importance of collaborating with African institutions to address critical challenges such as poverty and job creation through engineering and technology.
“We need to create sustainable jobs, and all of this comes from engineering. The earlier we start, the better,” he said, suggesting activities like organizing competitions to encourage students to create startups, including internationally competitive ones, with examples drawn from successful companies like Uber and Bolt.
In his presentation, Prof. Hanyurwimfura gave an overview of the University of Rwanda’s ACEIoT, noting that it was established in 2017 under the World Bank’s African Centers of Excellence (ACE II ) project. He discussed various offerings of the Centre, such as short courses on rapid prototyping for IoT and LoRa technologies, research projects and emphasized the Centre’s commitment to fostering innovation and creating impactful solutions. He presented the AI and IoT incubation hub project which facilitates the transfer of applied research from university to industries for application.
He reiterated the commitment to strengthen the existing collaboration. “We hope to continue improving our collaboration and adding more partnerships in different areas. Together, we can solve Africa’s challenges and create a brighter future for the continent.”, he said.
As part of the visit, the delegation participated in a meeting where researchers delivered presentations from RAIL. These presentations highlighted projects that demonstrate how AI is applied to key areas such as health, education, and agriculture. The meeting also provided a platform to discuss collaboration opportunities between KEEP and ACEIoT, with a focus on writing joint research proposals and sharing resources and equipment, such as computing power, servers, and other infrastructure.
The team visited the KNUST innovation center and toured different facilities that support innovators in development their projects. The delegation had an interaction with KNUST alumni innovators who created a startup Akofresh which works on project “A solar-powered cold storage technology to prevent post-harvest lossesof perishable crops”. The team was impressed on the startup contribution of reducing post-havest due to their green cold storage technology.

The delegation expressed a strong interest in adopting KEEP’s approach to setting up labs like RAIL and promoting impactful research.
Both KEEP and ACEIoT reiterated their commitment to strengthening the existing partnerships through the exchange of expertise and support for startup development, particularly through the AI4SD.
The team appreciated the warm welcome and hospitality extended to them