The College of Engineering held its maiden public lecture on 15th February 2024 at the Kumapley Auditorium. The aim was to bridge the gap between academia, industry and government and explore strategies for harnessing Ghana’s mineral resources. The theme for the lecture was “Harnessing the Transformative Power of Ghana’s Mineral Wealth for Human Capital Development and Sustainable Economic Growth”. Stakeholders from the industry, experts in academia, and students were present at the lecture delivered by Ing. Henry Antwi, an Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy fellow.
In her welcome address, Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson, the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, recognised the event as a momentous occasion for the College, the University, and Ghana. She emphasised the importance of exploring the nation's rich mineral resources to leverage future development. She stressed the social responsibility of the college and university to assist the industry in fully harnessing these minerals.
“Mining plays an important role in Ghana’s economy, and therefore, we have a duty as a college and university to utilise our resources to support the industry in unlocking the full potential of these minerals,” she stated.
Prof. Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko, Provost of the College of Engineering, introduced the guest speaker as an Australian-based Mining Engineering and Mineral Economist with a demonstrated rich history of working in the mining and materials industry in Ghana, the United States, England, Canada, Australia and the Sultanate of Oman.
Speaking on the theme, Ing. Henry Antwi highlighted that despite Africa possessing 30% of the world's mineral deposits, much still needs to be explored. He noted that the exploration of Ghana's mineral resources faces significant setbacks due to poor economic and administrative policies.
“What drives mining is exploration, and as a country, our policies must be competitive both in the country and globally. We should benchmark our policies with mineral-endowed countries like Australia and Canada to attract investors,” he said.
He further advocated for a strong collaboration between industry, academia, and government in harnessing Ghana’s rich mineral resources for development and sustainable economic growth. Specifically, he urged KNUST and the Ghana Geological Survey to collaborate on compiling an Atlas of mineral potential sites to attract investors. He expressed concern over the lack of political determination to combat illegal mining activities in Ghana. Ing. Antwi admonished engineers to get involved in political affairs to participate in decision-making when enforcing policies that will help the mining sector.
He also stressed the importance of adding value to Ghana’s minerals to attract investors, using the latest mining technologies, and practising responsible mining in combating global warming.
Some participants asked what the main challenge was in harnessing Ghana’s mineral resources and what could be done to curb it.
Ing. Antwi responded that implementing policies is a major challenge in the country. He admonished engineers to be in the corridors of decision-making and taking practical actions. He urged academics to market their potential and showcase their innovative works.
Ing. Henry Antwi pledged to furnish the KNUST Obuasi campus with the needed infrastructure to enhance education and research.
