04th-Nov-2025
A farewell message from Dr. Samuel Nikoi (University Librarian, KNUST. 2016-2025)
Today (31st October, 2025) marks my official day of retirement from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Almost ten (10) years ago, I made the courageous, yet bold, decision to move from the United Kingdom to Ghana to serve my nation as the University Librarian at KNUST.
My decision to relocate to Ghana was driven by my passion for education and learning, in which library services are a vital part. With nearly twenty-five years of experience in librarianship at the time, I observed a troubling mindset both in Ghana and abroad, especially in Africa, where many viewed education as teaching based on indoctrination rather than genuine learning opportunities. This teaching-focused view of education, which prioritises obedience and conformity over questioning, creativity, and innovation, was deeply worrying to me. I was also troubled by a library practice characterized by an obsession with learning resources, mostly imported from Western countries, which often served as decorative items on ornate shelves rather than being actively used or integrated into the educational process.
I was eager to collaborate with you and the university management to reshape the narrative and challenge the outdated perceptions of libraries held by many academics, who often view them merely as information repositories. This limited perception of what our noble profession of Librarianship represents, one that has been the cornerstone of prestigious universities like Oxford and Cambridge, was damaging the profession's image, but more critically, it was also harming education and human capital in Ghana.
Over the past decade, we have worked diligently, with the support of university management, to transform library practices here at KNUST. Developments in the KNUST learning environment, including specially designed learning spaces to support different learning styles, technology-mediated learning systems, operational service initiatives (such as twenty-four-hour services during peak times), and access to print and digital learning resources, demonstrate what we have collectively achieved. The Library Mall stands as a centrepiece and testament to the new momentum in higher education libraries across Ghana. The Times Higher Education ranking of KNUST as No. 1 for quality education (SDG4) also affirms what we have accomplished together.
Going forward, I encourage you all to look positively towards the future and to support the incoming University Librarian, Dr Richard Bruce-Lamptey, in pioneering new developments in the country's educational sector. Richard, like me, is also deeply passionate about the growth of library practice. He is knowledgeable and brings a wealth of experience to the field. Together, you should work to envisage a future filled with hope and transformation for our noble profession. I expect you to confront the habits that hinder the development of our profession. Things can appear differently when we change the way we perceive them. The comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there. Life is a one-time offer, don’t waste it. Die empty.
I am forever grateful to all of you, senior members, senior staff, junior staff, administrative staff, drivers, and cleaners, for making this journey a memorable one. For those of you who opposed some aspects of my vision, I also want to express my gratitude. I learnt a lot from our disagreements, and they helped shape our practice.
I leave you with the words of Martin Luther King Jr: “If you can't fly, then run; if you can't run, then walk; if you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward”.
I am proud of you all for being noble staff members of a twenty-first-century library service to KNUST.
Goodbye, and may the good Lord bless you all.
