News
U.S. Embassy, KNUST strengthen educational ties with two new projects
The U.S. Embassy in Accra and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Kumasi, has launched the U.S. State Department Bureau of African Affairs’ University Partnerships Initiative (UPI).
According to a statement following the launch, the initiative sought to “strengthen existing ties and foster new collaboration between U.S. and African universities through faculty and student exchanges, joint research, administrative capacity-building and public-private partnerships.”
The virtual launch held at the KNUST campus, last Wednesday, was presided by Professor Prof. (Mrs) Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice-Chancellor of KNUST.
Ambassador Tibor Nagy, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, also delivered remarks from Washington, DC while representatives from the Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC) and Iowa State University (ISU) provided an overview of the projects they were undertaking at KNUST.
“In response to the urgent need for virtual education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TIEC staff have assembled higher education professionals from several universities in Texas to train 30 administrators and faculty to produce quality online and flexible learning.
“Participants will go on to train other faculty and administrators within KNUST and throughout Ghana. TIEC, in collaboration with the KNUST Business School, is implementing “Flexible Learning: Responding and Reimagining Education in Ghana,” the statement noted.
ISU, according to officials, was partnering with the KNUST College of Engineering to implement “Institutional Capacity Building through Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Collaboration.
ISU and KNUST faculty and students will partner with the Ullo Traditional Area in the Upper West Region to collaborate on small-scale community development.
The projects are expected to promote research-driven solutions to address food security, potable water security, sustainable agriculture, and improved economic opportunity.
It would also bolster the students’ real-world problem-solving abilities and globalise the undergraduate engineering curriculum at both universities.
Professor Dickson endorsed the ISU-KNUST project, saying it would “strengthen our institutional capacity towards achieving our mission and position KNUST in an era where academia-community engagement for the socio-economic development of our less privileged communities is paramount.”
“The TIEC-KNUST project propel us in our pursuit of building the needed capacity for the establishment of a more resilient and robust e-learning system that ensures seamless academic work all year round and also offer us the opportunity to transfer knowledge to individuals less privileged to access in-person learning experience from our University,” she added.
“Assistant Secretary Nagy applauded the inaugural UPI collaborations in Ghana, stating that the projects exemplify core principles in American higher education.”
He noted that leadership, excellence, and innovation in delivery of online education had become paramount as schools relied largely on virtual learning.
Officials said through UPI, the U.S. Embassy would continue to “expand existing links and promote new partnerships at the university level that will strengthen Ghana’s educational institutions as instruments of national development while enhancing the United States and Ghana’s shared goals of regional prosperity, security, and stability.”
The Executive Director of DAD Micro-Credit Limited (MCL), Mrs Christiana S. Dzitse-Awuku, has called for urgent and collective action to prevent the recurring loss of lives and destruction caused by flooding during the rainy season.
Reacting to the devastating effects of last Monday’s heavy rainfall in parts of the country, she expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones and sympathised with residents whose homes, businesses and livelihoods were affected.
In a statement signed by Mrs Dzitse-Awuku and copied to The Spectator in Accra on Friday, she said although rainfall was a natural occurrence, the destruction associated with it was largely preventable.
According to her, DAD Micro-Credit Limited provides financial support to owners of small and medium scale enterprises, the majority of whom are women.
She noted that the recent heavy rains have significantly affected these businesses, resulting in many clients losing their capital and facing challenges rebuilding their livelihoods.
She noted that clogged drains, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, poor drainage infrastructure, and buildings constructed on waterways, and disregard for environmental and planning regulations had worsened the impact of heavy rains over the years.
“This is a wake-up call to all of us. The responsibility does not rest solely on government institutions. It is a shared duty,” she stated.
Ms Dzitse-Awuku urged citizens to desist from dumping waste into drains, maintain clean surroundings, and comply with environmental and planning regulations to reduce the risk of flooding.
She also called on the relevant authorities to intensify efforts to desilt drains regularly, remove unauthorised structures obstructing waterways without fear or favour, and strictly enforce city planning laws.
According to her, investing in preventive measures would save lives and reduce the enormous cost of rebuilding communities after disasters.
She appealed to government, local authorities, traditional leaders, civil society organisations and all Ghanaians to work together to build safer, cleaner and more resilient communities.
Ms Dzitse-Awuku stressed that the country must not wait for another rainy season to revisit the same challenges, emphasising that every life lost to flooding was one too many.
She offered prayers for bereaved families and those who had lost their homes and property, expressing hope that the nation would be spared further tragedies.
“The Ghana we develop today will be our safe haven tomorrow,” she stated.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Last week’s heavy rains that got parts of Accra heavily flooded have left residences and offices in difficult situations as they try to gather the remains of their properties.
“Life after the flood has been difficult because we have lost a lot of things; some were also destroyed. We are currently gathering the pieces left but as to whether they would serve any use, we can’t tell for now,” a resident of Adabraka told The Spectator on Wednesday.
Along the North Industrial Area enclave, a number of office structures were flooded with water rising to unimaginable height.
The New Times Corporation (NTC) and other nearby establishments were not spared the flood ordeal as they became receptacles for excess water that were supposed to flow in the choked gutters around.
For workers of the NTC, the days after the flood were ones for cleaning and putting the offices in shape.
Staff had to get documents, furniture and other equipment dried, affecting production on the first day after the flood.
The situation was similar to what was seen in nearby offices where The Spectator visited.
Visits to some communities around ‘Circle’, Alajo, and Kaneshie revealed heaps of rubbish left behind by the flood waters.
In some of the areas, floodwaters have negatively impacted streets, gutters and homes with those areas littered with plastic waste, broken furniture, mud and other debris.
In some of the huge drains, vehicles were seen stuck in heavy mud.
This waste and stagnant pools of water have become a major concern for residents as they generated an unpleasant odour. A number of residents in the affected areas have since called for urgent intervention from local authorities.
Some residents said the waste has still blocked drains, increasing the risk of further flooding should the rains come again.
Others expressed concern that the accumulated rubbish could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and thereby, expose the communities to diseases such as malaria and cholera.
At the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Odawna market areas, traders continue to tidy up their stalls and shops.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
