KNUST launches foundation to promote education
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has launched a foundation to help raise funds to promote higher education.
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Known as the KNUST Foundation, it will help the university to continue to deliver on its mandate and remain relevant in the face of changing trends in science and technology,
The launch of the foundation became necessary because the traditionally known sources of funding tertiary education have been diminishing and gradually becoming unreliable and unsustainable.
Vice Chancellor
Speaking at the launch, the Vice Chancellor, Professor William Otoo Ellis, stated that higher education in Ghana had suffered challenges such as accessibility, affordability, low faculty to student ratio and inadequate infrastructure.
He said the diminishing financial resources and the growing demand for participation remained one of the biggest threats to quality higher education in Ghana and the setting up of the foundation was to help solve the problem.
Prof. Ellis indicated that KNUST had produced most of the finest scientific and technological professionals for this country and the rest of the world.
‘’KNUST graduates are making great strides in industry, education, community, development policy, the financial markets, real estate, the business sector, health sector and currently moving into uncharted territories such as the legal sector,’’he added
KNUST brand
Prof. Otoo Ellis noted that as a great brand, KNUST deemed it important to maintain, build upon and protect the brand efficiently and effectively through the KNUST Foundation.
Dr Kwame Saarah Mensah, Chairman of Council for the University, reiterated the need to have new funding arrangements that would enable the university to produce alumni whose output would accelerate the growth and development of the nation.
Dr Kofi Kodua Sarpong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Bank, in his keynote address, called on all stakeholders to contribute to help KNUST to prosecute its agenda of science and technology.
He cautioned the university, saying, “the launch of this foundation cannot be an end in itself but a means to an end.” He said staff of the university should be encouraged to be concerned with fundraising activities by encouraging alumni to donate.
The KNUST Foundation’s activities would be overseen by a management team that would see to policy directions towards fundraising, investments, disbursements and other activities.