Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, has inaugurated a ‘Mechatronics laboratory and first phase of a Science Park Project’ for Sunyani Technical University (STU).
The laboratory, funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), comprised a computer laboratory, lecture halls, and offices that would facilitate effective research activities at the university.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng noted the STU was on track, observing that the facility would not only help the university, but push the socio-economic advancement of the nation as well.
“President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo believes in research work and understands the need to support research to well position the country to excel in all spheres of life”, he said.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng advised the university to stay on its core mandate, and urged students to go into specialization, and always concentrate on their books to achieve high academic laurels and become national assets.
Prof Kwadwo Adinkra-Appiah, the Vice Chancellor of University, expressed appreciation to the government for setting up the facility, which he added remained critical input for the technical and professional skills development.
He said the STU had electrical and electronics engineering as its niche area, adding the facility and the project would scale up academic research and provide requisite hands-on training to students.
“This will position the university to be a leader in the manufacturing of electric vehicles and other electric and electronic machines”.
Prof Adinkra-Appiah noted the mechatronics laboratory had come at the right time as the university took-off its niche area in skills training, research activities, and electric vehicle manufacturing agenda, set out in the strategic plan.
He however lamented the poor access road that linked the main campus to the facility saying “one-kilometre stretch is extremely dusty, dry, muddy and slippery in the wet seasons”.
Prof Adinkra-Appiah said the university also needed a 62-seater bus to facilitate transportation of students for industrial tours and other activities adding the university expected to admit a huge number of students in 2021.
He appealed to the government to construct a pedestrian foot-bridge at the frontage of the university across the Sunyani-Kumasi highway to save students from frequent vehicle knockdowns.
