University of Energy establishes centre for sustainable development

The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) has established a Centre for Innovation and Technology Dissemination (CITED) for Sustainable Development in cereals, cocoa and coffee value chains in the Western and Eastern Africa.

The project, being funded under the African Caribbean Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) Cooperation Programme in Science and Technology II (S&T II), aims at building the capacity in Science, Technology and Innovation in the selected regions to boost food security and socio-economic development.

It is being implemented jointly by the UENR, Ghana, ARPA Molise, Italy, Guru University (GU) in Uganda and Bioeconomy Africa (BEA) in Ethiopia in partnership with the University of Molise (UNIMOL) in Italy as the International Coordinating Partner as required by the ACP-EU cooperation programme.

Professor Daniel Obeng Ofori, Pro-Vice Chancellor of UENR and the Project Coordinator, told the Media at a briefing, in Sunyani to give insight into the project’s activities and what has been achieved since the past one year.

Prof. Ofori said the project was being implemented in a period of 36 months, explaining that it was already 15 months in its implementation in Ghana, by the CITED at UENR.

He said it sought to achieve four key elements of availability, access, utilisation and stability, explaining that they were the primary dimensions that underpinned the achievement of food security.

Prof. Ofori explained, “There are a number of cross-cutting themes, which were considered in the formulation of the evidence gaps or questions under each dimension”.

They include, “Inclusive Agricultural Growth; Social, Economic and Environmental Sustainability; Employment Generation; Local Capacity-building; and Empowerment and Equality”, he added.

Prof. Ofori stated that for the field work, the project was being executed in Techiman, Wenchi, Nkoranza, Atebubu, Goaso and Mim in Brong-Ahafo Region and Ejura, Tepa and Maaban in the Ashanti Region.

He explained these field sites were selected because they were among the notable areas for the cultivation of cereals like maize and rice as well as cocoa and coffee in Ghana.

Prof. Ofori cited among the specific objectives that the final beneficiaries of the project are “key stakeholders in maize, rice, cocoa and coffee sectors, including farmers, farmers’ associations, traders, poor and disadvantaged people living in rural areas of Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda largely dependent on agriculture, wider farming community and users of research innovations”.