The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has established a Centre of Business Development (CBD) to serve as the University’s business and investment think tank.The focus of the Centre, according to Vice Chancellor, Professor William Otoo Ellis, is to provide greater interaction and platform for academic-industry partnership in the areas of business incubation, business consulting and networking, and entrepreneurship development.It will also support the promotion of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), research and training as well as help desk for intellectual property.“KNUST is making an emphatic statement to the business community, industry and all stakeholders that KNUST is ready for business… KNUST has opened a new chapter in its drive towards providing better service through partnership or direct service to the business community and other stakeholders,” Prof. Ellis emphasized at the commissioning of the Center.The Centre has already facilitated initiatives between some colleges and industries, including the organization of the Business Week which involved the KNUST School of Business (KSB), the Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI).Guest of Honour at the event, Philip Sowah, Managing Director of Airtel Ghana, noted that the KNUST CBD is well positioned to bring university resources to bear on the economic development needs of Ghana.He believes “the Centre will be the focal point where business ideas, especially in ICT, can be generated and commercialized for the benefit of the originator of the concept and society at large. It will also address government’s expectations of research institutions commercializing their potential”.The Centre was established with the strategic support of Airtel Ghana, TECHNIP, the Global Media Alliance and the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI).Head of the CBD, Ralph Nyadu-Addo, expects the Centre to raise a minimum of US$1 million annually from alumni, corporate bodies and other sources in cash, investments, equipment and consultancy.“The Centre will also gradually begin to positively change the mindset of both students and workers of KNUST and further build in them a culture of nationalism, self-confidence, a can-do-it attitude; these among others are key ingredients which cannot be quantified in monetary terms,” he said.The commissioning of the KNUST Business Development Centre falls within activities marking the 60 years anniversary of the institution and forms part of efforts in developing and implementing the University’s strategic plan.