Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Education, has charged the new Takoradi Technical University Council to ensure that the University stayed within its mandate of producing highly skilled manpower for the industrial needs of the country.

According to him, the Technical University Act, Act 922, explicitly required the technical universities to provide higher education in the field of Engineering, Sciences, Applied Arts Technology Based Disciplines, Technical and Vocational Education and Training and related disciplines.

Dr Opoku-Prempeh said this when he inaugurated a19 -member Council for the Takoradi Technical University.

He said the Government's vision for the technical universities was not to vie off their core mandate and tasked the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) and the National Accreditation Board to be strict with their monitoring programmes.

“Government’s desire is to also provide a clear pathway for the academic and professional progression for students in the skilled-based technical and vocational education in order to equip the students with high technical skills required to drive the country’s socio-economic development,” he said.

He charged the Council to maintain the focus of the Technical University in developing manpower that would be capable of thinking outside the box, be innovative and dynamic to ensure that the country achieved its development agenda of becoming the economic hub in the sub-region.

Dr Opoku-Prempeh, congratulating the Council members, said they were chosen based on their technical competencies in harnessing and promoting Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) towards skills development at all levels of the educational ladder to support national development.

The Takoradi Technical University Council is chaired by Dr Mrs Henrietta Abane from the University of Cape Coast, with Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun, the Vice Chancellor, Hon. Ato Panford, Mr. Michael Appiah and Dr Robert Adjaye as members.

Others include Mrs Wilhelmina Asamoah from the NCTE, Mr Sampson Damptey Tetey, representing COTVET, Mr Daniel Sekyi Kwarkyi, the Association of Ghana Industries Representative, Mr Joseph Akwasi Bawuah, representing Ghana Employers Association, Mr Francis Rexford Sam, CHASS Representative and Mr Joseph Abaiku Apprey, APTI rep.

The rest are Mr Peter Awini Seidu, UTAG, Mr Mark Kofi Aremu Convocation Non-Teaching Rep, Mr. Eric Bruce Amatey Jnr. Convocation Teaching Rep, Mr Ernest Nkrumah Taylor, Alumni, Mr Charles Andoh-Appiah PAAG, Mr Eric Boafo Dadzie, POWAG, Mr James Avevor Student’s Representative Council and Mrs Sylvia Beatrice Oppong-Mensah, Registrar and Secretary.