IAST and Qualiplast explore partnership opportunities

A delegation from the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) of the University of Ghana (UG) paid a visit to Qualiplast Limited, a leading manufacturer of high-quality industrial plastic packaging products in Ghana, on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. The visit was to explore areas of mutual interest and collaboration between the two institutions.

The delegation was led by the Director of IAST, Prof. David Dodoo-Arhin, who expressed his appreciation to the management of Qualiplast for their warm reception and interest in working with IAST. He highlighted the role and mandate of IAST, which is to facilitate industry-academia linkages and partnerships. He said the UG has the expertise to provide R&D support for industry so that industry can focus on production and scalability.

The Managing Director of Qualiplast, Mr. Fares Akl, in his welcome remarks, thanked the IAST team for the visit and expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration. He said that Qualiplast was ready to collaborate with UG on research projects, training programmes, internships for students, and industry-academia interactions and exhibitions.

Both parties agreed to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will formalise their collaboration and outline the specific areas and modalities of cooperation. The MOU will also enable Qualiplast to collaborate with all departments and units of UG.

The visit was part of IAST's outreach activities to engage with industry and other stakeholders to foster mutually beneficial relationships that will enhance the impact and relevance of UG research and training programmes.

The delegation was given a tour of the factory at Qualiplast where some of the products and processes of the company were showcased.

Present at the meeting were: Mr. Fares Akl (Managing Director, Qualiplast), Joseph Akl (General Manager, Qualiplast), Mr. Evans Gyamfi (Quality Manager, Qualiplast), Mr. Fred Ohene (HR Manager, Qualiplast), Mr P. Razn (Factory Manager, Qualiplast), Prof. David Dodoo-Arhin (Director, IAST), Dr. Henry Ofosuhene Sintim (Senior Research Fellow, IAST), Dr. Bismark Mensah (Lecturer, Dept. of Mat. Sci. and Eng.), Dr. Yaw Delali Bensah (Lecturer, Dept. of Mat. Sci. and Eng.), Mr Bright Kwaku Avuglah (Administrator, IAST). Others are Mr Dennis Dickson (Senior Research Assistant, IAST), Mr. Musah Bukari (Senior Research Assistant, IAST), and Mrs. Nora Mangortey (Admin. Assistant, IAST).