The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Esq., has commissioned the Fintech Venture Studio at the KNUST College of Engineering Innovation Centre.
As part of the commissioning, the Minister and his team from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources paid a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Christian Agyare.
Dean of the Faculty of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, Prof. Francis Kemausour, who led the team during the courtesy call, said the Minister had supported the setting up of a fintech venture studio where fintech innovations will be developed.
In his response, the Minister said the fintech venture is a critical part of the Innovation Centre and forms part of his support to the University. He recalled that in 2015, as Petroleum Minister, he supported the construction of the Petroleum Building at the College of Engineering as part of building the oil and gas advanced team, and noted that the Fintech Venture Studio adds to that support.
The Minister asked what KNUST and the Ministry can do together to fight illegal mining, which is not only destroying water bodies but also livelihoods. He challenged engineers and students to come up with innovations to solve the dire issue. He said the mining policy has been revamped in line with the Government’s reset agenda, adding that collaboration with the University is needed to solve the issues and that this is also an opportunity for students to contribute to real-world impact.
The Vice-Chancellor thanked the Minister for always helping the University. He spoke about the University’s 10-year strategic plan, which deals with Government, the private sector and industry, and described the engagement as an opportunity to collaborate. He agreed that mining must be done in a sustainable manner and noted that there is a thematic area on sustainability in the strategic plan. He added that the University is moving from excellence to eminence, which is the global impact of what we do, and that the University will take advantage of this, especially in the area of sustainability. He tasked the College of Engineering to prepare a proposal and monitoring mechanisms on how the University can collaborate with the Ministry. He said engaging stakeholders from the onset during research helps in implementation, and noted that research is supposed to impact and improve the lives of the people; working with the Ministry will achieve that.
The Minister also asked for a satellite campus in the hometown of Kwame Nkrumah to honour him for establishing the University. The Vice-Chancellor said the request will be looked at and a team will be put together following the processes.
During the commissioning ceremony, the Minister said the studio is for innovations that will be relevant in the lives of people. The Innovations Manager, Mr. Makafui John Bedzra, took the Minister and his team through the innovative work already taking place in the newly commissioned studio.
