In recent times, many people have questioned the relevance of public lectures in the age of technology. They have raised concerns about whether there is a place for public lectures in the age of the computer, when everyone can connect to the world wide web from the comfort of their homes to access information.

Several academics including Professor Martyn Thomas, an internationally recognized expert in software engineering believes public lectures are important and relevant in this golden age of technology. It becomes more important in parts of the world where internet isn’t widespread and penetration is low.

Speaking about the importance and necessity for public lectures, Dr. Camynta Baezie, the immediate past Executive Chairman of State Enterprises Commission and the General Secretary of Ghana Association of Writers indicated that public lecture can be a useful tool to spearhead the developmental agenda of the continent apart from it being perceived as a platform for educating and sensitizing the general public on important national issues.

Dr. Camynta obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 2000 and a Master of Science (MSc) in 1995, both in Transportation Engineering and Operations from the University of Newcastle. He graduated from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in 10992 with a Bachelor of Science (Hons).

This week, Dr. Camynta launched a campaign dubbed “Public Lectures For African Development”, a series of public speaking sessions across the continent to educate Africans about the continent’s resources, human capital development, job creation and opportunities for all African citizens.

Throwing more light on the campaign, Dr. Camynta said “if we want to develop our continent, we need to focus on building the capacity of our people and pursue an aggressive agenda to create jobs for our citizenry. The public lectures will present in-depth information about all sectors possible to help in building a robust economy. Open to all categories of persons, there will be solutions to age long problems in various sectors by seasoned and distinguished speakers across the continent in various sectors Africans have been faced with over the years”.

He further indicated that the public lectures will be done in collaboration with investors, entrepreneurs and employers from across the world to mitigate the challenges in Africa.

“The lectures will start in Ghana in September 2018 and will ensure that issues affecting the growth of the economy are all addressed. It shall be replicated in other countries for the results driven agenda it seeks to achieve for the continent. Making the world a better place needs a constant communication to propagate resolutions for addressing all difficulties. This project will be handled by an international team to ensure for seamless execution of all events and subsequently apply solutions recommended by the speakers and experts in various sectors”, he added.

Dr. Camynta’s areas of expertise are Infrastructure Planning, Transportation Planning, Traffic Engineering, Highway Scheme Design and Assessment, Railway Scheme Design and Assessment, Traffic Engineering, Public Transport Operations and Management.

He worked as an Engineering Consultant in the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Oman on highway scheme designs, transportation planning and design, infrastructure planning, policy and strategic business development.

Dr. Camynta is the author of the bestselling novel, The African Agenda and currently lecturing at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.