KNUST establishes maiden state-of-the art mobile web lab

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has established an mFriday Mobile Web Laboratory setup project which the university authorities described as the first ever state-of-the-art mobile web lab in Ghana.

It was founded by a group of students and ICT professionals in September 2011, and offers ICT students and industry experts a platform to facilitate the designing, testing and launching of commercially viable mobile web applications to solve problems.

In collaboration with Vodafone, a major player in the telecommunication industry, KNUST have also set up an internet cafe at the College of Engineering reputed to be the fastest in Africa to boost teaching and research.

Professor William Otoo Ellis, Vice Chancellor of KNUST made this known in Koforidua at the weekend during the 7th Biennial Congress of the Alumni of the University referred to as “Teknokrats” on the theme: “Reducing Graduate Unemployment; The Role of Teknokrats.”

He said the academic entity has established a Quality Assurance Unit which has developed policies on quality assurance, teaching and learning, research HIV and AIDS and intellectual property to guide operations.

The university is also establishing off-shore centres under which a pilot project has begun in Dubai with Mechanical Engineering undergraduate top-up programme.

In this regard, Prof Ellis has led a delegation to The Gambia, Nigeria and Liberia.

Mr. Antwi Boasiako, Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare said government is committed to invest in skills development in order to structure the largely informal sector, adding that job creation is one of the critical pillars of the Better Ghana agenda.

Mr. Ebenezer Okletey-Terlabi, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister who described the theme for the congress as “very apt and opportune”, said the pervasiveness of poverty in the society is debilitating and threatens to keep the nation permanently in a vicious grip.

“Due to poverty, the society is only able to generate low levels of savings, resulting in low levels of investments with corresponding low levels of output, thus reinforcing...poverty,” he added.

Mr. Okletey-Terlabi advocated the need for the academic board of the university to have constant dialogue with industry to restructure its curriculum so as to train students who would be more useful and functional to society.

“Entrepreneurship training should be part of every academic pursuit at the university to enable students to have a different orientation of exploring various opportunities as to create jobs for themselves and not to rely on government for employment.”

Mr. Tony Danklu, National President of the Alumni, in his report to the Teknokrats, challenged them to be innovative and entrepreneurial in their operations and called on unemployed graduates to look beyond government and traditional private sector job opening for employment opportunities.

He appealed to Teknocrats home and abroad to get involved in the activities of the Alumni.

Entrepreneurs such as Dr. Kofi Amoah, Dr. Michael Agyekum Addo and Mr. Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia lectured the Tecknokrats on practical ways of establishing businesses with emphasis on creativity, innovation and the ability to take risks.

They also took the congress through the need for the unemployed graduates to develop business plans and cease the many business opportunities available and cited examples in the food vending industry and marketing of local cuisine to international standards.

Dr. Amoah expressed the need for government to create a one billion- dollar entrepreneurship fund and initiate massive land reforms to facilitate job creation.

Daasebre Professor Emeritus Oti Boateng, Omanhene (Paramount Chief) of New Juaben, who chaired the function called on the alumni of the country’s universities to come together to create general theories of generating employment.

The term of the current National Executive led by Mr. Danklu, President, was extended for a year to allow for constitutional amendments. The rest are: Collins Obeng-Marnu, Vice-President, Eunice Akosua Ofosua Amoako, General Secretary, Ernest Paa Kwesi Elelakpodia, Assistant General Secretary, Fanny Enos, Treasurer, Kwame Ohene Ampofo, Evans Yevu Aryee-Quaye, Francis Appiah-Kubi and Evelyn Akua Mensah and Prof S. O. Asiama as Co-opted Executive Members.

As part of the five-day congress the Tecknokrats organised career counseling for a number of Senior High School Students and health screening exercises.