The Festari Institute of Professional Studies (FIPS) is a premier professional education institution headquartered in Tarkwa, in the heart of Ghana's gold mining belt.
Professionals Trained
Countries Reached
International Partners
GEMCA Certification Domains
We deliver internationally partnered programmes in mining engineering technology, safety, management, and applied sciences, producing professionals who are competent, certified, and ready for industry from day one.
FIPS was born from a simple but urgent observation: that too many graduates enter the mining workforce with strong theoretical knowledge but lack the practical skills, safety awareness, and professional certifications that employers need.
To stand as a globally respected institution of higher learning, recognised for bridging professional certification with academic excellence, and producing competent, ethical, and highly skilled professionals for the global workforce.
We deliver high-quality professional education and academic pathways that seamlessly integrate industry practice, applied learning, and higher education standards. We are committed to:
We uphold honesty, transparency, and ethical conduct in everything we do. We develop professionals who prioritise safety, sustainability, and environmental stewardship. Integrity is not merely a value we teach; it is the standard by which we operate.
We pursue the highest levels of teaching, facilitation, and assessment. We define excellence not by credentials awarded but by the competence, employability, and impact of our graduates. Like the Hwehwemudua at the foundation of our crest, we measure everything against a benchmark of superior quality.
Education must produce practical capability. Our programmes are designed in collaboration with industry partners to ensure learners acquire skills that are immediately applicable in the workplace. FIPS graduates do not merely hold qualifications; they demonstrate competence.
We build strong alliances with universities, awarding bodies, and industry leaders. Through our partnerships with iPED UK, WSO, and MERIT, we maintain global relevance and ensure our qualifications carry international recognition.
We champion flexible learning pathways and embrace innovation in delivery and assessment. We support lifelong learning, ensuring students can progress from entry-level professional training to advanced academic achievement. Our commitment to growth extends beyond individual learners to encompass institutional development and the advancement of professional education across Africa.
The FIPS crest is not just a logo. It is a carefully composed emblem that encodes our founding philosophy, our cultural heritage, and our commitment to professional excellence.
Deep green and gold reflect environmental stewardship, institutional permanence, and the gold mining heritage of Tarkwa and the wider Gold Coast.
FIPS partners with iPED UK to deliver internationally recognised professional qualifications in mining and engineering technology, ensuring our programmes meet UK-benchmarked standards.
Through our WSO partnership, FIPS delivers safety management and occupational health programmes aligned with global safety standards, serving the mining and industrial sectors.
Measured Excellence through Institutional Trust: MERIT accredits FIPS as an approved provider, recognising our programmes as meeting its standards for measured excellence and institutional trust.
A distinctive strength of the FIPS model is its connection to UMaT, Ghana's foremost mining and minerals university, through the Founder's academic appointment, enabling proficiency and professional certifications that carry the weight of his standing at the University.
Founder and Executive Director, FIPS
Dr. Festus Kunkyin-Saadaari was born and raised in Tarkwa, in the heart of Ghana's gold mining belt, the same community where FIPS is now headquartered. He holds a PhD and BSc in Mining Engineering from the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), where he serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Mining Engineering and Faculty Examinations Officer of the Faculty of Mining and Minerals Technology. He also holds an adjunct appointment at the Anton de Kom University of Suriname.
Before entering academia, Dr. Kunkyin-Saadaari worked at Gold Fields Ghana as a Fatigue Monitoring Engineer and Pit Controller Dispatcher, and completed his industrial training at AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem. This firsthand exposure to the realities of mine operations directly informed the industry-embedded philosophy on which FIPS was built.
His research focuses on the application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to mining geotechnics. He has authored 12 peer-reviewed publications, supervised over 56 postgraduate and undergraduate theses, and serves as Principal Investigator on the AIRSSEE-GZ project, a GHS 900,000 research grant funded by the National Research Foundation of South Africa for AI-driven mine reclamation research across Ghana and Zambia.
Education that cannot be measured against a standard of competence, and that does not produce professionals who are immediately useful to industry and society, has not yet fulfilled its purpose.
Explore our programmes or apply through the admission portal.