The day theory met practice at Accra Polytechnic

Much has been said about linking research to practice such that the subject appears to become a mundane one. One can say it is an over-flogged issue, not because it is not an important subject but because it is a subject that is often discussed without much results to show.

When people in academia do research, they often do it for a number of reasons—either to increase the number of their research publications for promotional purposes or to show the world the new things they have made by way of innovations and for those  who are engaged in Applied Research, the latter is of more importance to them.

Unfortunately, for us in this part of the world and for that matter Ghana, members of academia, even though have been engaged in a number of research works over the years, their works and new discoveries have, in most cases, been left on shelves to gather dust. 

It is for this reason that Accra Polytechnic’s first-ever Exhibition and Poster Conference is worth commending. After all, why will someone light a candle in the night and put it in an opaque box? Why will a nation that is crying for an industrial take-off and the need for graduates with practical ability not be able to show what it has got in her graduates? We are certain that these and many others are the questions this conference addressed.

If anybody ever doubted the ability of polytechnics to carry out their mandate of producing middle-manpower graduates to respond to the demands of the challenges that face us as a country and for that matter the world, their answer lies in that sublime display of practical knowledge and creativity that was showcased at that conference – The Accra Polytechnic Exhibition and Poster Conference. 

Held on the theme: “Polytechnic Education: The Catalyst of Ghana’s Industrial Development”, the conference saw faculty members and students of 15 academic departments display close to 80 research posters and their related exhibits in tangible forms. It was an event that was characterised by awe for many of the visitors who witnessed it.  What, for us, was the most significant was the fact that even at interfaculty level, there were expressions of surprise by members because even at that close range, people’s knowledge of what their colleagues have done, by way of creativity and innovations, was limited.  

The display of such exhibits as a liquid smoke extracted from everyday smoke to avoid  the problem of the traditionally smoked fish being rejected on the European market due to the presence of carcinogenic compounds on them; the design and construction of an all-purpose loom that is capable of weaving a 70-piece fabric at a go; and the design and construction of an exercycle” for synchronised washing and exercising of the body are innovations that have arisen from painstaking research that would have been shelved for life, thanks to the Exhibition and Poster Conference.

When the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in his address before he officially opened the exhibition, challenged polytechnics to ensure that the next time he was at their programme, he should be speaking through a microphone constructed by them, little did he know that he was going to see more than he demanded .

When the students from the Electricals/Electronic Department took him through a range of exhibits such as security alarm systems, low cost automatic change over, mobile phone-controlled remote monitoring and control pumping systems, low cost hearing aid and an electronic mixer for audio amplifiers, it became clear to the minister that the construction of a microphone as a bar he had set for them was a tip of the iceberg.

The positives derived from the Exhibition and Poster Conference are enormous because as exciting as the exhibits themselves may be, the theory, creative thinking and consideration the researchers gave to local factors in their designs, construction and applications are encouraging, to say the least, especially when all the exhibits were made from locally available materials.

We consider the development a positive one, because the lack of ‘relevant’ research in Ghana has often resulted in copying solutions from other parts of the world that may not necessarily be applicable to our part of the world. 

Can you imagine your world with a “fuel-less” generator which runs on battery, charged internally at a required rate with an in-built step-up transformer? That saves you environmentally and mitigates the effect of global warming that arises from the burning of such fossil fuel as gasoline or diesel by existing generators, doesn’t it? That is an innovation by a student from the Mechanical Engineering Department too.   

Not long ago, there was a debate regarding research allowances for lecturers in our public tertiary universities/polytechnics and whether the lecturers in these institutions really deserve these allowances. In those debates, one of the accusations levelled against these captains of academia was their failure to research into relevant areas that would impact positively on society. We are not in the position to agree or disagree with the proponents of these arguments. What we do know for a fact is that if what was showcased at Accra Polytechnic’s Exhibition and Poster Conference is anything to go by, then, therein lies an answer for such critics.

Perhaps, the link that needs to be established between such research works and the tangible products arising out of them is what has been lacking or the provision of platforms such as conferences as was provided by Accra Polytechnic is what has been the bane of researchers in academia. As was revealed by the Rector of Accra Polytechnic, Professor Sylvester Achio, the Exhibition and Poster Conference is here to stay and will be an annual event. Therefore, one can only hope and pray that people in the academia across the country would take full advantage of the platform to showcase what they have. 

What happens when theory meets research? The result is the catalyst for industrial strides that know no bounds.