The gardens of the Accra City Hotel carried a familiar warmth on Friday evening. Music played softly as old friends found one another, handshakes turned into embraces and conversations moved easily between memories of school days, careers, families and life after graduation.
Many of them had seen Accra Technical University, once upon a time, Accra Polytechnic. They had walked through its corridors, sat in its classrooms and workshops, made friendships there and left with skills that would take them into different professions. On this evening, those different paths brought them together again.
The ATU Alumni Networking Cocktail, organised on 21st August 2026, formed part of activities marking the University’s 10th anniversary of its transition from a polytechnic to a Technical University. Alumni joined University Management, corporate partners, industry leaders and invited guests at the Accra City Hotel Gardens to reconnect and reflect on the institution they once called home.
The Chairman of the ATU Alumni Association, Mr David Ayisala captured the mood of the evening in his welcome address, describing the anniversary as an opportunity to “reflect on a remarkable journey, celebrate the progress we have made” and appreciate the people who have contributed to the University’s development.
He said that the memories also carried responsibility. He reminded the alumni that wherever their careers had taken them, business, industry, academia, public service and other fields , they remained ambassadors of their alma mater.
He therefore called on them to bring their experience, professional networks and resources back into the development of the University and to “reconnect, share memories, build new relationships” and renew their commitment to giving back.
The story of the past decade was brought into proper perspective when the Vice-Chancellor, Engr. Prof. Amevi Acakpovi, took the gathering through some of the progress the University has made and the direction it is taking.
Today, ATU has grown to approximately 35,000 students, with around 35 Bachelor of Technology programmes and 25 Master’s programmes, bringing together engineering, applied sciences, business, built environment, applied arts and other professional disciplines.
The growth has also changed what students can experience beyond the classroom. Centres such as the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Incubation Services, DigiCAP Centre, Sustainable Energy Service Centre and Career Development Centre are helping students develop entrepreneurial, digital, employability and innovation skills alongside their technical training.
That practical orientation remains central to the University’s development. Students are increasingly exposed to laboratories, workshops, industrial attachments, project-based learning and prototype development, with the larger goal of preparing graduates who can create solutions and employment rather than depend solely on existing jobs.
Partnerships have equally opened new doors. ATU’s relationships with industry and international institutions are creating opportunities for internships, mentorship, technical training, research and student exchanges. Some students have undertaken six-month internships in Germany, while others are being prepared to complete the final two years of their studies at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in China. The University’s recent partnership with the California Community Colleges also provides opportunities through the Pan African Virtual College.
These developments provided context for the Vice-Chancellor’s appeal to the alumni. As the University grows, its former students represent a pool of experience, influence, professional connections and resources that can help create opportunities for the generations following them.
The evening brought ATU’s ten-year journey into one space; the people who remember where it came from, the progress that defines where it stands today and the ambition shaping where it wants to go.
While old memories remained very much alive, new conversations about what alumni can contribute to the next chapter of the University brewed among those who were present.
Download event gallery via this link https://atudirectorateofpublicaffairs83.pixieset.com/collection/