NEWSPOLITICAL

Akufo-Addo: Engineers crucial for development

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated the need for Ghana to consider producing more engineers for the country’s development.

He believes engineers hold the key to the industrialisation agenda the country so much desire in its development as was done by China.

China, according to him, had been able to transform its economy, particularly in the 21st century because of its strategic plan to train engineers who have gone on to grow the economy of the communist country to become the 2nd biggest in the world.

The President said this when he received the six winners of the maiden edition of the Ghana Science and Tech Explorer Challenge Prize (GSTEP), their school authorities, and event partners at the Jubilee House.

“The journey of the 21st century is about science and technology. The most extraordinary success story so far on the 21st century in the economy of China. 40% of students at the tertiary level in China are engineering students and these are the statistics that we have to try and achieve if indeed our dream of transformation is going to be more than a dream”, he said.

Target

He therefore noted “We have to target 40% of tertiary students in Ghana has to be engineering students because clearly, engineers hold the key to the process of development and transformation.”

The six students of the Udara Basic School who won the maiden Ghana Science and Tech Explorer Challenge Prize (GSTEP) included Persis Oppong Agyeman, Priscilla Osei Tutu, Priscilla Appiah, Haizel Comfort Boampomah, Akua Acheampongmaa Appau, and Princess Helena franchise Agyeman demonstrated to the President the Illuminated Child Road (ICR) safety device they invented to win the prize.

“We developed this idea due to the close proximity of our school to the Komfo Anokye Accident and Emergency Unit in Kumasi. Because of that, our student were being knock-down by vehicles as they attempted to cross the road due to the speed which drivers ply the road”, Priscilla OseI-Tutu who is one of the winners explained.

Report

She cited a 2020 report from the Road Safety Commission, which indicated that more than 60% of road fatalities that occurred involved school children.

She added that: “Considering all these unfortunate events, we saw that indeed, there was the need to make such a device and fortunately for us, that device won the maiden edition of the GSTEP challenge.”

President Akufo-Addo was wowed by the exceptional skill exhibited by the students and congratulated them for their achievement.

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