The Department of Built Environment at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Somanya, has warmly welcomed 198 third-year Architecture students from the Department of Planning at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi. The visit forms part of the students’ community engagement project and aims to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions.
Welcoming the students, Head of the Department of Built Environment at UESD, Dr. Dominic Buer Boyetey highlighted the University’s rapid progress since its establishment five years ago. He noted that the Department currently offers three undergraduate programmes: BSc. Sustainable Construction Management and Technology, BSc. Urban Planning and Development, and BSc. Architecture and Sustainable Design.
Dr. Boyetey shared the department’s aspiration to match KNUST’s esteemed reputation in the near future and emphasised UESD’s core values—HOPE (Honesty, Opportunities, Perseverance, and Enterprising)—as the foundation of academic and professional growth. He urged students to prioritise honesty in data collection, stressing the risks of inaccuracies in planning processes.
The department, he noted, comprises 18 faculty members with diverse expertise and is supported by Prof. Rexford Assasie Oppong in mentoring the Architecture programme. He expressed optimism about formalising future collaborations with KNUST and assured students of the university’s full support during their fieldwork.
A Studio Master at KNUST, Dr. Alexander Marfo, expressed appreciation for the warm reception and outlined KNUST’s fieldwork structure—ranging from rural to urban surveys across different academic years. He noted that due to increased enrolment this year, the team opted to study an entire community in Somanya.
He highlighted past successes, including a 2019 project in Chebi that attracted nearly $5 million in NORAD funding. He expressed hope that the Somanya project would yield similar results, enhancing the town’s appeal and relevance.
Students will collect baseline data, conduct analysis, and propose medium- to long-term development plans. Nine groups will explore themes including socioeconomics, infrastructure, ecology, cultural heritage, and urban design, with one group focusing on the UESD campus itself.
Dr. Marfo encouraged UESD students to collaborate actively and think innovatively. He commended the University’s 3D campus modeling efforts and noted that KNUST students would assist in completing renderings. He also invited UESD students to participate in the upcoming ASAG Week and to visit KNUST’s architecture studios.
Reaffirming the purpose of the visit, he said, “We are here because we want to collaborate,” adding that mentorship success stories, such as with Central University, demonstrate KNUST’s commitment to capacity building.
Acknowledging the support of local host Mr. Seth Emmanuel Terkper, and contributions from architectural firms and students, Dr. Marfo concluded by stating that UESD was the first and most important stakeholder to visit on this engagement journey.