President John Dramani Mahama has announced that government has earmarked GH¢100 million in the 2027 budget for Ghana’s 10 Technical Universities to support infrastructure expansion, innovation and skills development.
Under the allocation, each technical university is expected to receive GH¢10 million as part of efforts to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and position the institutions at the centre of Ghana’s industrialisation agenda.
President Mahama made the announcement on Tuesday, May 26, during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Applied Research Conference of Technical Universities of Ghana (ARCTUG 2026) at Takoradi Technical University.
According to him, the investment reflects government’s commitment to empowering technical universities to produce the skilled workforce needed to drive industrial growth, entrepreneurship and technological innovation.
He noted that 2026 marks exactly 10 years since Ghana’s polytechnics were converted into technical universities, stressing the importance of adequately resourcing the institutions to enable them to effectively fulfil their mandate.
“Technical universities are critical to Ghana’s economic transformation and must be supported to lead innovation, skills training and applied research,” President Mahama stated.
The President, accompanied by Vice-Chancellors of all 10 Technical Universities, toured research exhibitions and innovative projects by students and lecturers before officially opening the conference.
The biennial ARCTUG conference, organised under the auspices of the Vice-Chancellors of Technical Universities of Ghana, provides a platform for policymakers, academics, industry players and development partners to deliberate on applied research and innovation for national development.
This year’s conference, hosted by Takoradi Technical University, is expected to feature more than 276 research paper presentations from participants within Ghana and abroad.
Speaking on the conference theme, “Advancing TVET for Innovation, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development,” Vice-Chancellor of Takoradi Technical University, Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun, called for increased investment and institutional support for technical universities.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu also assured participants of government’s commitment to ensuring adequate funding for TVET education to maximise its contribution to national development.
