University of Energy launches US$10m Endowment Fund

The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani has launched a US$10million endowment fund to cushion the young University into a higher pedestal in the next ten years.

The endowment fund is expected to serve as supplementary to government’s subvention to the University so as to make it financially sufficient to deliver on its core mandate of providing higher education, dissemination of knowledge and research into energy and natural resources.

The University launched the Fund concurrently with a 10-year strategic plan with the focus on five thematic areas: academic excellence in teaching, learning research and outreach; infrastructure development; developing the University into a world class status (such as through the pervasive deployment of ICT); welfare of staff and students; and anchor the University in a solid financial performance.

The strategic plan spells out a framework for the realisation of the institution’s goals and objectives. The mission of UENR which was inaugurated in November 2012 is to ‘promote the development of human resources and skills required to solve critical energy and natural resources challenges of society and undertake interdisciplinary academic research and outreach programmes in engineering, science, economics and environmental policy.’

The Pro Vice-Chancellor of UENR, Prof. Daniel Obeng-Ofori said the plan has key indicators to measure the various activities expected to be carried out towards the achievement of the desired goals and objectives. He added that monitoring and evaluation will be very critical in the actualization of the plan; he therefore prayed all relevant stakeholders to put their shoulders to the wheel and make it a success.

Launching the endowment fund and strategic plan, Eric Opoku, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister charged UENR to train the requisite human resource to efficiently man the energy sector of the country, particularly finding lasting solution to the generation shortfalls, saying “the University must position itself to produce personnel who can explore natural resources available to the country in order to address the energy challenges facing the country.”

He urged the University to mobilize the necessary resources to ensure effective implement of its strategic plan to enhance the status of the institution. “Actualization of strategic plans has been an age-old problem with most of our educational institutions. Many of such plans have been left to gather dust. I hope this University will make a difference.”