As part of the pre-launch activities marking its 20th Anniversary, the KNUST School of Business (KSB) organised a community-centred initiative known as The Blue Outreach. Held on May 30th, 2025, The Outreach showcased KSB’s commitment to bridging theory and practice, as students brought classroom knowledge to life through impactful social engagement with the local community.
The Blue Outreach has long been a feature of KSB anniversary celebrations, designed to connect academic learning with community impact. The initiative engages students in applying their theoretical knowledge in Product Supply and Marketing, Savings Management, Effective Product Storage, Debts and Profits Tracking, and Building and Retaining Customer Service, to real-world challenges faced by local traders and small businesses. By interacting directly with members of the community, students help identify trade-related issues and provide tailored solutions to support growth and sustainability.
This hands-on approach has proven invaluable, offering students a deeper appreciation of their academic pursuits. Many describe the experience as both enjoyable and enlightening. Beyond sharing insights, students gain fresh, practical knowledge that fuels their passion and sharpens their focus in their chosen field of study.
As a first-year Marketing student expressed, “I am more passionate about my choice of programme in Marketing because this has broadened my perspectives on the dynamics of business development in different localities, trades, and human personalities.”
The purpose of The Blue Outreach was fulfilled, as members of the local community actively engaged with students during the speaking sessions.
Community members were enthusiastic to share real-life experiences and challenges, offering not only valuable insights but also heartfelt encouragement to the students, spurring them on in their academic and professional journeys.
The Outreach took place at three strategic locations: Ayigya Market, Ejisu Market, and the Oduom locality. These venues provided a rich and diverse platform for meaningful interaction between students and community members.
A striking sight throughout the event was the unity displayed by students from every department, both undergraduate and postgraduate, proudly donning their symbolic blue T-shirts, representing the spirit of the initiative.
Describing the impact of the event, Mercy Akosua Owusuaa A., President of the KSB Graduate Students’ Association (KSBGSA), remarked, “It was truly empowering to share knowledge and resources that can help local businesses thrive. This is exactly the kind of connection we need between academia and the real world.”
The Blue Outreach continues to affirm the KNUST School of Business as a leader in practical business education, equipping students with real-world skills for sustainable success in both corporate and entrepreneurial spaces.
Through initiatives like this, KSB not only trains students for industry relevance but also instils in them a deep sense of social responsibility.
More than just an event, The Blue Outreach has become a defining KSB tradition, a celebration of community impact, student empowerment, and purposeful engagement.
By aligning academic excellence with social good, fostering teamwork, and shaping well-rounded, industry-related graduates, KSB remains committed to producing the next generation of change-makers for Ghana and beyond.
Twenty years on, and we say, KSB’s legacy lives not only in lecture halls, but in every community it touches. It is a legacy built on purpose, people, and progress.