Published: 17 Aug 2016 Source: University Relations Office (URO)
The 6th Summer School of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has officially opened. This year’s school which will run from 15th to 17th August, 2016 is on the theme: “Strengthening the Linkage Amongst Academia, Industry and Government.”
Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso
In his welcome address, Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso, the Vice-Chancellor, stated that the University has had cordial relations with government and industry through the vigorous implementation of the Development Research Uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa programme.
He noted that a platform would be created to offer opportunities to the University’s scientists and researchers to interact, exchange and share ideas with potential or actual investors to facilitate the understanding and application of KNUST’s research findings through open days, periodic research durbars, public lectures and partnerships with industrial giants.
Professor Sir Emmanuel T. Acquah
Professor Sir Emmanuel T. Acquah, Director of International Relations at the University of Maryland, in his presentation on “Funding Research for National Development”, called for the forging of strategic partnerships within and outside the university, donor communities, alumni and other people to push the development agenda forward.
He also called for effective networking and a strong advocacy for the needs of the university. He observed that drivers of the national development agenda should be identified and used to further push research in the University. He also challenged the University to pay attention to policy which in turn should have research components.
Professor Sir Acquah also touched on the necessity of an annual operational strategic plan with monitoring and evaluation systems to be reviewed by local experts. He further advised that staff with administrative and management capacities that meet international standards should be used, and to ensure its sustainability the capacity of staff should be built continuously. In funding research, Professor Acquah advocated an office of institutional advancement and a strong alumni linkage to lobby to create an endowment fund while making use of existing donor relations and to venture into private-public partnership in the effort to generate more resources. In ending, he also called for more incentives and rewards for institutional grant managers.
Honourable Ekow Spio Garbrah
Honourable Ekow Spio Garbrah, the Minister of Trade and Industry, the keynote speaker, called on researchers to access the component of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) intended for research. He said that beside the provision of buses, infrastructure and logistics, the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) was also available to researchers.
Dr. Spio Garbrah urged academia to collaborate with industry on research topics in order to help solve the problems faced by industry to promote development. To further enhance such collaboration, he proposed the creation of a Ghana research fund to attract partners as a move towards practical research for national development. On this he pledged a seed capital of ten thousand (�‚�10,000) cedis.
He noted that the colonial masters had no plan of making us complete with their educational system and called for the termination of some colonial educational legacies and to teach people practical skills.
The Summer School will be attended by senior member, senior and junior staff.