Engineers Must Use Expertise To Address Societal Challenges

The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr. Alfred Ekow Gyan, on Monday urged engineers to use engineering concepts and principles to address societal challenges. He entreated them to find solutions to the waste and pollution of water bodies and cities that have been draining the scarce national resources. �Society looks up to you to help re-cycle the waste materials for our good, therefore, I recommend that you liaise with city authorities in that direction to help the country in its current situation,� he stressed. Mr. Gyan expressed these sentiments at the opening ceremony of the School of Engineering Week Celebration of the Takoradi Polytechnic. The event, held on the theme, �Engineering for Livelihood,� also served as a prelude to the polytechnic�s 60th Anniversary celebration this year. He urged the Engineering Department to write good business proposals to bid for housing projects and other social interventions the government is embarking on, in order to open up jobs for graduates from the institution He said there is the need to add value to the country�s natural resources through manufacturing, instead of exporting them in their raw state; therefore the onus rests on engineers to provide the country�s industrial needs. The deputy minister observed that global economies are driven by science and technology, therefore there is the need for the country to prioritize the investment in the sciences so that Ghana would take a commanding height in industrialization and build a resilient economy. He expressed government�s determination to continue to place premium on education, especially in the area of research and innovation. This, he noted, is the only way to industrialize and add value to the country�s commodities. In his welcome address, Reverend Professor Daniel Agyepong Nyarko, Rector of the Polytechnic, said was about time Ghana paid serious attention to technical education because it had the potential to transform the country�s economy. The School of Engineering, comprising Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Furniture Design and production, Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Building Technology, mounted an exhibition to showcase some of the prototype equipment and handiwork of the students. The week-long celebration would involve health screening, public lectures, cooking competition and gospel concert.