News
ATU inaugurates two training centres
• Dr. Collins Owusu Kwaning [right] briefing Prof Nii Odai and others at the TV studio
Prepared to give practical meaning to its role as the pace-setter in technical education in the country, the Accra Technical University has inaugurated a Certified Electrical Wiring Professional Training Centre (CEWPTC) and a Television Studio.
Prof Nii Odai and others at the TV studio
The inauguration of the two training centres in the university will afford students to have practical knowledge at the centres and enable them to become proficient in their trades.
The Vice-Chancellor of ATU Prof Samuel Nii Odai in his address, said though it had been a long journey, he was happy to witness the inauguration of the two centres which would aid in the training of qualified professionals.
As a technical university, “We have to focus on doing things with our hands,” he said.
“You must take advantage of the training centres to become prominent engineers and good broadcasters who will provide quality works and programmes for Ghanains. This is a privilege for which you ought to be proud of,” he said.
He urged the students to leave the university with the appropriate certificate, adding that the Ghana Electrical Contractors Association and other stakeholders were ready to lend their support so far as training in the centres were concerned.
He said ATU would like to liaise with the media houses for attachment programmes in order to raise a generation of efficient and qualified professionals.
He tasked the two centres not to focus only on training members of the public but include the students.
Prof Samuel Nii Odai asked the students to take advantage of acquiring multiple qualifications to enable them to become proficient in the job market.
The President of Ghana Electrical Contractors Association, Mr Awal Zakib Mohammed bemoaned the fact that adequate skills development was fast depleting in the country, hence the need to address it by establishing skill training centres to help produce qualified professionals.
He said it was not enough to produce graduates in a particular field but those who were equipped with the requisite practical skills.
The Head Of Department(HOD),Liberal Studies & Communication, Dr Collins Owusu Kwaning said the inauguration of the studio was an innovative way to eqip the students with the requisite skills which they would use in the field of work.
He said the studio would be used in running short courses to enrich skills development and to rake in the needed Internally Generated Funds (IDF).
He said the Studio would also engage in online streaming to uplift the image of the university among others.
The Head of Electrical and Electronic Engineering(HOD), Dr Stephen Bani said the centre would provide hands-on- training for the students.
He explained that as a Competency-Based -Training Centre, it would help the students to translate the theories they have learnt into practice.
Earlier, the executives of the Public Relations Association, ATU Chapter were inaugurated.
By Raymond Kyekye
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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