Institutional development · Student experience, equity and outcomes · Ghana
KNUST vice-chancellor proposes partnership with rapper Sarkodie to mentor creative-arts students
Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has asked rapper Sarkodie for a sustained collaboration, possibly involving annual engagements, to support students in music and other creative fields.
Why it matters: KNUST students with talent in music and other creative disciplines could receive mentoring from Sarkodie's team if the proposed partnership goes ahead.
KNUST said Vice-Chancellor Professor Christian Agyare proposed a sustained partnership when rapper Michael Owusu Addo, known as Sarkodie, and his management team made a courtesy visit to his office.
According to the university, the visit came ahead of activities under Sarkodie's Rapperholic 26 project, which include the Kumasi Rising initiative.
Professor Agyare proposed regular, possibly annual, sessions in which Sarkodie's team would mentor students on combining their studies with creative work and on navigating the industry.
The vice-chancellor said the collaboration fitted the university's strategic focus on sports and creative arts and that supporting student talent could open entrepreneurial opportunities and help tackle graduate unemployment.
Editor’s view
Rachel Smith, Students and International Editor
The arrangement remains a proposal from KNUST's vice-chancellor rather than an agreed partnership. If Sarkodie's team accepts it, students in music and other creative disciplines would be identified and offered regular mentoring on combining their studies with creative careers.
