Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture

The Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA) was established in 1984, by founder Dr. Noah Owusu-Takyi, in response to youth demand for an agricultural technical college. Located in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region of Ghana, KITA is a leading institution in agricultural training, consultancy, research and rural development.

KITA is a non-profit, tropical agriculture college which excels in sustainable rural development and community extension addressing climate change and environmental degradation. The aim of KITA is to stimulate employment opportunities and economic development in Ghana’s agricultural industry.

KITA provides specialized training in tropical agriculture, permaculture (ecological agriculture), eco-village design, entrepreneurship and financial services. The mission of KITA is to foster a new generation of scholars and professionals to revolutionize agriculture in Ghana.

KITA boasts a variety of Pre-Tertiary, Tertiary, as well as Technical and Vocational Certificate courses to meet this objective. These courses include, but are not limited to, Agricultural Engineering, Agribusiness, Agroforestry, Permaculture, Agricultural Marketing and International Trade, Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Students of KITA combine their classroom studies with experiential and participatory learning through on-campus agricultural projects.

The campus of KITA is full of activity, with 28 acres of land devoted to crop production, forest gardening, animal rearing, fish farming, beekeeping, and mushroom cultivation. Recently a biogas digestor project was initiated at KITA, to produce electricity on campus from organic waste products. KITA is also leading a clean cook stove research project.

The student capacity of KITA is currently 150 students, but with recent accreditation by the National Accreditation Board, KITA expects to host 300 students in 2014-2015. Since 1984, KITA has hosted over 2000 students, with an impressive 95% employment rate after graduation. Furthermore, 68 KITA graduates have won Best Farmer Awards.

KITA has partnered with and collaborated with numerous international organizations and institutions, including Trees for the Future, Perpetual Prosperity Pumps Foundation, the Rural Enterprises Programme, World of Hope International, Netherlands Development Organization and the U.S. African Development Foundation.

The campus of KITA is located in the Ejisu-Juabeng District of Kumasi, between the communities of Domeabra and Apromase. Kumasi is the capital city of the Ashanti region, and is located in the heart of the West African nation of Ghana.