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‘Technical universities can develop country if aided in research’
• Inset: A section of the participants
Technical universities have once again given the indication that they are capable of aiding in the accelerated development of the country when adequately assisted in their research work.
A collection of research findings which were on display at the 2nd Annual Applied Research Conference, held at the Accra Technical University (ATU) gave credence to this assertion.![• Professor Samuel Nii Odai [left] presenting an award to Dr Kenneth Fafa Egbadzor Photos Okai Elizabeth.](https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Professor-Samuel-Nii-Odai-left-presenting-an-award-to-Dr-Kenneth-Fafa-Egbadzor-Photos-Okai-Elizabeth.jpg)
The research findings on display at the conference which worn awards were, Baobab domestication initiative, construction monitoring with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and Characterisation of solar cell efficiency Under North-East Trade Winds Conditions.
Others were the exhibition of smart farm, manufactured drone satellite, fish smoker and pilot scale production and assessment of fuel from plastic waste.
The rest were analysis of skilled-based competence of selected garment firms in Ghana using the resource-based view (RBV) theory, and the effect of traffic congestion on productivity in Ghana: evidence from AtwimaNsabiagya Municipality, Ashanti Region.
The conference was held under the auspices of the Ghana National Petroleum Company (Corporation), Volta River Authority, Anointed Pillars Associates Limited, Ghana Gas, Kantanka SUV, Ace Medical Insurance.
President Nana AddoDankwaAkufo-Addo, in a speech read on his behalf by the Minster of Environment Science and Technology, DrKwakuAfriyie, assured that the government would provide the relevant support to technical universities to produce graduates with employable and technological skills.
He said government was rejuvenating Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) education by providing funding and infrastructural support, adding that the collaboration between technical universities and industry players would provide solutions to societal problems.
Prof Mrs Rita Akosua Dickson, the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST), Kumasi, in a keynote address, stressed that there was the need to develop biofuels and electronic cars to reduce environmental and ecological pollution, and promote the use of biodegradable waste to protect the environment.
The Vice Chancellor said utility models have played key roles in the industrial development of countries such as South Korea, India, Japan and Germany, and Ghana would not be an exception if the country’s innovative strategies embraced utility models.
She was of the view that with the right training, skills development, the right attitude and an enhanced entrepreneurial acumen inculcated into our graduates, the country would groom more employers rather than employees.
According to her, researchers should contrive ways of recycling waste into useful products, adding that their research work would only be relevant if geared to impact humanity positively.
The Vice Chancellor said entrepreneurship was an essential element for economic progress as it had established its importance in diverse ways. These included identifying, assessing and exploiting business opportunities, creating new firms and renewing existing ones by making them more dynamic.
The Deputy Minister of Education, Madam GiftyTwum-Ampofo, said the ministry held the view that TVET was a vehicle for development, and thus has invested in the development of infrastructure and human resources to help reap its benefits.
Dr Wilfred Anim-Odame, the Chairman of the Governing Council of Accra Technical University (ATU), who chaired the function said such conferences had been recognised globally as important platforms to unearth solutions to local and national problems relating to education, finance, engineering, health, environment, among others.
He urged participants to use their wealth of knowledge and experience to make the necessary recommendations that would help thenation to unleash untapped natural resources.
The Chairman of the Vice Chancellors of Technical Universities –Ghana (VCTU-G), and the VC of Ho Technical University, Prof Ben Q Hoenyenugah in his introductory address, said the conference would serve as a bridging platform for industry-academia research collaboration towards creating home-grown solutions by using innovative technical tools.
Prof Samuel NiiOdai, the Vice-Chancellor of ATU said innovation depended on knowing the basic facts through research, and that research fueled innovation, adding that the conference provided a platform to share discoveries and make discussions that would lead to applying the discoveries to improve quality of life.
By Raymond Kyekye & Pamela Davordzie
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
