Dr Thomas Mensah
The famous fiber optics inventor and world leading nanotechnology expert, Dr Thomas Ntiamoah has paid a courtesy call on Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, Ghana.
Key among issues discussed by the two was an industrialization strategy for Ghana and the Ashanti Region in particular.
As Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Otumfuo was pleased to learn that Dr. Mensah had launched the Silicon Valley of Ghana, at the Kofi Anan Center with the four major Universities - KNUST, University of Ghana, Cape Coast University and the University of Tamale - having their Vice-Chancellors on the governing board.
Google, a multi-billion-dollar company was founded by students at Stanford University based on their PhD Thesis; Facebook another world giant was founded at Harvard University Dormitory and it is hoped that the Silicon Valley of Ghana will bring such innovations to Ghana.
Among the facilities at the Silicon Valley of Ghana is a Telemedicine Center with nodes at the Medical Facilities in Ghana linking similar facilities in US Mayo Clinic, UK, Germany and South Africa.
The Ghana Silicon Valley has attracted executives of the Microsoft Corporation, Apple Computer and the Boeing Company as well as US Astronaut Bobby Satcher, an Expert in Telemedicine to the Governing Board of Directors.
Otumfuo was also briefed on the status of the major airport aircraft maintenance facility being planned for Kumasi for which he has donated 23,000 acres of land.
This facility, the first of its kind in West Africa will be the West African hub for maintenance of all aircraft from the 15 ECOWAS countries. The Boeing Corporation will train engineering graduates of KNUST and all High School graduates in the country, to be aircraft engine mechanics and aviation servicing personnel.
This project will create between 300,000 to 400,000 jobs during design, construction, operation and maintenance in the country.
The Lamik Corporation which just finished building the Dakar Airport in Senegal and are building the world's largest Airport in Istanbul are the developers for the Kumasi Airport. Otumfuo is behind this project that can bring jobs and industries to the Region.
The Airport maintenance facility is very competitive since other countries including Nigeria and Ivory Coast also want this West African hub and the Ministry of Aviation must move quickly on this project so that Ghana does not lose ground.
Dr. Mensah and Otumfuo also discussed the new eastern line high speed from Tema to Kumasi with 7 stations at Tema, Accra, Kyebi, Kumasi, Bonkara, Tamale and Paga.
Dr. Mensah was pleased with the Railway Ministry since it has issued a request for quotation after down selecting contractors from 45 to 10.
Dr. Mensah also met with the Dean of Medical School at KNUST, the Registrar and Dean of Technology Management studies at KNUST.
