Accra, Ghana, April 3, 2019//-Ghana has taken giant steps towards the establishment of the country’s maiden Technology Design and Manufacturing Centres (TDMCs) to drive the socio-economic development of the country.
The centres which will be modeled like the UK’s Manufacturing Technology Centre will support national research institutions, universities and industry.
These centres which are expected to commence soon will contribute towards helping bridge the technology gap in Ghana through the deployment and active use of technology, and the training and mentoring of engineering practitioners and technicians, including facilitating their smooth transition to productive industry practice.
This came to light at a conference on bridging the technology gap media engagement held in Accra on Wednesday 3, April 2019.
Dr Kwame Boakye, Planning Committee Chair of the Conference on Bridging the Technology Gap Towards “Ghana Beyond Aid” and Youth Employment said: “The Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) and its collaborating partner, the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and the Ghanaian practitioners in Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation ( STEI) located both here in Ghana and in the Diaspora, are all fully committed to work with other stakeholders to establish TDMCs”.
To this end, “the first pilot TDMC is to be established under the leadership of GhIE. The centre will be incorporated as a not-for-profit private company limited by guarantee”.
The board of trustees will be nominated by GhIE, MESTI, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and engineering universities. Two of the trustees nominated by GhIE will serve as ex officio guarantors of the company, Dr Boakye explained.
The trustees will appoint a Chief Executive who will be a member of the board and will be responsible for managing the day-to-day affairs of the centre, according to him.
The communiqué of the Conference dubbed ‘Peduase Declaration’ envisions that the TDMC will have functions include to serve as a repository for reports on research conducted in Ghana; house a database on Ghanaian engineers, technologists and scientists worldwide and their areas of expertise; provide opportunities for the commercialization of inventions and innovations into commercially viable products.
The other functions of the centre are to serve as a centre for upskilling of engineering practitioners; serve as a centre for promoting and protecting Intellectual Property and Patenting of Ghanaian innovation; serve as a centre for engineering analysis and a place for Design-for-Manufacturing Assembly (DFMA); and serve as a “learning factory” where practice, education and research are integrated to foster the development of competencies of trainees and practitioner forum engagements.
The Conference acknowledges that the TDMC concept is in line with Government policy and action plans. In this regard, the Conference invites stakeholders to join in partnership and collaboration for the implementation and realization of the proposed TDMC project.
Panel discussion
In a panel discussion moderated by the Executive Director of GhIE, Ing Kwabena Agyepong with panelists, Dr Joe Odartey Cruickshank, a Consulting Engineer based in the USA; Dr Kwame Boakye; Prof Kwabena Frimpong, Minister of MESTI; Kwesi Pratt, Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper; and Dr Lucy Agyepong, Technology Manager of Design and Build Group at MTC, UK, all stressed the need to use science, technology and engineering to address the challenges in the country.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report
