AAMUSTED  launches access academic journals across Africa

The Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) has launched two open access academic journals aimed at advancing research in technical and vocational education and entrepreneurship across Africa.

They are the Journal of Technology Education and Applied Sciences (JTEAS) and the Journal of Applied Social Sciences and Entrepreneurship Education (JASSEE).

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Frederick Sarfo, in a speech read on his behalf by Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Boateng, said; the launch “fulfills a legal requirement under Act 1026 of Parliament, which established AAMUSTED in 2020 and mandates the university to disseminate the results of research undertaken through the publication of books, journals, papers and any other suitable means.”

Both journals would operate under an open access model, making all published research freely available online without subscription fees.

He traced the institution’s heritage to 1946 when Scottish missionaries established St. Andrews Training College in Asante-Mampong, with COLTEK rooting back to the Technical Teachers College of 1966.

The journals would initially publish twice yearly in May and November, and according to Prof. Sarfo, the university has plans to seek indexing in major international databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and the Directory of Open Access Journals to enhance global visibility.

The Keynote speaker, Prof. Eric Appau Asante, Director of E-Learning at KNUST and an AAMUSTED alumnus, described open access publishing as addressing “Africa’s knowledge drain.”

Prof. Asante described technical and vocational education training and entrepreneurship as “engines of transformation” for African development.

“TVET equips hands with skills, but research refines those skills into industries. Entrepreneurship creates businesses, but knowledge ensures those businesses survive and scale”, he said.

“The launch positions AAMUSTED among African institutions adopting open access publishing models to increase visibility and impact of locally-produced research”, according to the Journal Proposal Committee chair, Prof. Yarhands Dissou Arthur.

From  Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi

Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU2