The MoU is to facilitate an exchange programme, joint research, publication and grant application between the two institutions.

 It is also targeted at fostering the development of joint degree programmes and strengthening institutional mentoring.

The Vice-Chancellor of KTU, Professor Smile Dzisi, signed on behalf of KTU, while the President of HSHL, Prof. Klaus Zeppenfeld, appended for the German university.

Opportune moment

In an address at the signing ceremony, Prof. Dzisi said as a young aspiring technical university, KTU had found a “perfect match and model” that would help it provide science, technology and vocational education to the highest level.

“For us at KTU, we find this moment as opportune because having just been converted into a technical university, we recognise that Hamm-Lippstadt has travelled several miles on the route we have just chosen,” she said.

Prof. Dzisi stated that KTU also stood to gain a lot of experience from Hamm-Lippstadt, mainly from the latter’s state-of-the-art educational facilities and industry-oriented technical expertise.

Opportunity

For his part, Prof. Zeppenfeld  said he was glad that both universities were bent on developing practice-oriented courses, with a clear orientation towards current and future market requirements.

“Both our universities have the objective to educate students for a successful work life in the fields of engineering and business,” he said, and described KTU as Hamm-Lippstadt’s partner university in Africa.