African universities urged to focus on addressing energy challenges
African Universities have been asked to focus on finding appropriate solutions to renewable energy challenges facing the continent.
Professor Utz Dornberger, Director of Leipzip University of Germany’s International Masters Programme – SEPT, said this was urgent and critical to its development.
He was speaking at a four-day international workshop on promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
It brought together participants from Ghana, Germany, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania and provided the platform to discuss how to achieve the goal using world best practices.
Prof. Dornberger said it was important for academicians and experts to work together, share ideas and to exchange knowledge on ways to bring socio-economic progress to the people.
He gave high marks to KNUST for its keen interest in the development of innovation and entrepreneurship among its students.
He cited the establishment of the Kumasi Business Incubator (KBI) designed to help boost entrepreneurship, nurture and sustain innovative businesses to speed up the nation’s economic development.
He said he had no doubt that the incubator was the surest way to identify new business opportunities.
Prof. Dornberger gave the assurance that the German Development Agency would provide funding and support for research into innovation and other development projects.
Vice Chancellor of the KNUST, Prof. William Otto Ellis, said national development hinged on creativity and innovation, given the intense competition and constant product improvement.
He said recent global economic crises had increased the urgency for companies and countries, especially developing economies, to identify and develop new sources of revenue and sustainable pathway to economic success.
Prof Ellis said it was worrying that Ghana had largely remained an exporter of raw materials with limited value addition and he said this needed to change.
The right environment should be created to provide impetus for private sector growth.
He said the KNUST would continue to train well-balanced graduates with the requisite entrepreneurship, innovative skills and expertise to be effectively functional and productive.
Source: GNA