Reshaping How Africa
Learns, Works, Leads
& the Future
DTI is not a conventional school. Born on a factory floor in Accra and grown into Ghana's National Centre of Excellence for TVET — we are forging the next generation of African leaders.
Africa's First AWS SENSE-Certified Welding School
Our Story
A Dream Forged in Metal.
A Mission Built for Africa.
Every institution has an origin story. DTI's begins not in a boardroom, but on a factory floor. In 2000, Ms. Constance Elizabeth Swaniker — a renowned Ghanaian sculptor and entrepreneur — founded Accents & Art (A&A), an award-winning precision metal fabrication company with a bold vision: to bridge the widening gap between industry and academia.
She saw talented young Ghanaians full of potential, and an industry hungry for skilled hands. By 2016, that vision had grown beyond one factory. A&A established a training institute on its factory floor in Bubuashie, Kaneshie, Accra — registered as the Art and Design Institute, with a mission to transform youth TVET across ECOWAS.
A year later, it was renamed The Design & Technology Institute (DTI), and a movement was born.
800+
Graduates across all programmes
409
Scholarships awarded to date
177
Staff, including 95 academic staff
423
Current learners enrolled
Our Journey
Milestones That Define Us
2000
Foundation
Accents & Art founded by Ms. Constance Elizabeth Swaniker — an award-winning precision metal fabrication company with a vision to bridge industry and academia.
2016
Established
Art and Design Institute established on the A&A factory floor in Bubuashie, Kaneshie, Accra — with a mission to transform TVET across ECOWAS.
2017
Rebranded
Renamed The Design & Technology Institute (DTI). A movement was born.
2018
Accreditation
CTVET registered and accredited as a Level 3 TVET provider in welding and fabrication.
2019
Expansion
New campus opens in Mempeasem, East Legon, Accra.
2020
Milestone Partnership
First graduation ceremony (30 learners). Mastercard Foundation partnership begins under the Young Africa Works initiative.
2021/22
Academic Alliances
MoUs signed with Ho Technical and Takoradi Technical Universities. Precision Quality Centre of Excellence established.
2023
Growth
MoUs signed with KNUST and Kumasi Technical University. Programme Advisory Committees (PACs) launched.
2024
Deepened Partnership
Mastercard Foundation Phase II partnership confirmed — accelerating access and impact at scale.
2025
Historic First
Commissioned Africa's first AWS SENSE-certified Welder Training and Testing Centre — a purpose-built regional hub for internationally benchmarked welding training, industry upskilling, and certification.
2026
Berekuso Grounds Breaking
Development of a 11.29-acre Multi-skills campus in Berekuso — envisioned as Ghana’s National Centre of Excellence for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and a continental model for workforce development.
Centre of Excellence
The Welder Training & Testing Centre
The WTTC is a purpose-built facility established to deliver internationally benchmarked welding training and certification. Accredited under the AWS SENSE programme, it makes DTI the first institution in Africa to achieve this recognition.
Learners are trained and assessed against globally recognised safety and quality standards, enabling them to access high-demand employment opportunities both locally and internationally. Beyond initial training, the Centre supports industry upskilling and certification, serving as a regional hub for welding excellence.
Africa's First AWS SENSE-Certified School
A Community That Reflects Our Values
Inclusion Is Not a Policy. It Is a Practice.
Of our 423 current learners, more than 50% are female. Of the 328 learners who graduated in 2025, 55% were female and 3% were Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). These are not accidents. They are the result of deliberate choices, built into how we recruit, support, and champion every learner who walks through our doors.
50%+
Current learners who are female
55%
Female graduates in the Class of 2025
3%
Persons with Disabilities in 2025 cohort
328
Learners who graduated in 2025
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Partnership is at the heart of DTI's impact and our model thrives through collaboration with industry, academia, and development agencies. Transforming TVET at scale requires more than passion: it requires the right allies. In 2020, DTI partnered with the Mastercard Foundation under the Young Africa Works initiative — a relationship that deepened with Phase II launched in 2024. DTI has also signed MoUs with four of Ghana's leading Technical Universities, embedding the Precision Quality curriculum at scale across the country.
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