Otumfuo urges varsities to partner industry

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, has called on universities to forge relationships with industries and engage them in mutually beneficial exchanges of ideas and solutions, and to ensure that the collaboration is sustained and deepened.

He said the ever-increasing dependence of industry and business on human resource in a knowledge-based economy requires universities to remain relevant to the aspirations of society.

The Asantehene made this call at the 2015 Founders’ Day Special Congregation at KNUST. The ceremony was to celebrate the achievements of distinguished personalities, corporate organisations and graduates who had completed prescribed courses of study in the University by the end of October, 2015.

He said science and technology education, one of the main drivers of productivity and a key long-term lever for economic growth and prosperity, is an expensive enterprise. It subsists on adequate funding and resources including laboratories, workshops, lecture rooms, demonstration fields, equipment and tools, staff with specialised and diverse skills as well as consumables. Inadequate funding to secure these resources is obviously a challenge that science and technology education must overcome.

Otumfuo said it is for this and other reasons that the KNUST, together with its sister institutions, is craving and crying for public funding for tertiary education and/or to give science and technology programmes a special dispensation for financial support. This way, universities will be able to increase access and offer relevant and quality science and technology education for the good of society.

He used the occasion to congratulate Professor William Otoo Ellis for his stewardship since his appointment as vice-chancellor in 2010. He commended the VC, saying he has worked hard to move the university forward in the realisation of its mandate.

Professor Ellis informed the gathering of the newly-instituted KNUST Research Fund, which is being accessed competitively by researchers. He also mentioned the ‘TECH TV’ project of the Department of Communication Design, which involves setting up a state-of-the-art multi-purpose multi-media studio and laboratory. Prof. Ellis added that it is intended to enhance the level of practical training for students.

Also, in the area of developing research and innovation in graduate programmes, a comprehensive examination policy for all PhD candidates has been instituted. Tremendous improvements have also been achieved in terms of policy development, implementation and enforcement: such as the streamlining of bench fees; the requirement of a minimum two publications prior to graduation for PhD candidates; and an increment in supervision allowances for supervisors as motivation toward KNUST’s drive to grow graduate study programmes.

He also announced various awards and research grants. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources won GH?720,000 from the Council for Technical Education for training poultry farmers. The College also received US$383,200 from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa to train students in plant-breeding, and an additional 2.1 million from AGRA for a special PhD programme to train 20 students in Soil Science.

The Energy Centre in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Life Science also benefitted, with a grant of US$1,300,000 from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation to upgrade education and research in renewable technologies among others.

Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, Minister of Education, reiterated earlier calls for private sector partnerships with academia to enhance teaching and research to promote the overall development of Ghana. According to her, such collaboration is necessary to complement government’s efforts, which will also make industries more visible and accessible to the academic community.

At this year’s Founders’ Day Special Congregation 2,072 graduates were presented, including 49 PhD graduates, the highest in the university’s history.