Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has challenged all its alumni members to be more committed to the development of the university.
According to her, out of the 16 public universities in Ghana, the KNUST continued to be the most preferred and most attractive learning institution to majority of Ghanaians and foreign students.
Addressing a meeting with the Tema branch of the KNUST alumni held in Tema, Community 6, Prof. Dickson said that the university in the 2022-2023 academic year admitted over 27,000 new students, bringing the total to 89,000, students.
She expressed the need for the university alumni members across the globe to help improve on its infrastructural development to enhance teaching and learning.
The VC also officially announced October 6, 2023 as the "KNUST Day of Giving" which is an initiative to raise at least GH¢200 million to build a 2,000 bed capacity hostel to reduce the accommodation deficit facing the university.
She encouraged all Ghanaians, especially past and present students of the university to contribute to the project via a short code *887*551#.
Prof. Dickson pleaded with the KNUST alumni members who are 'captains' of industries in Ghana to create more opportunities for continuous and graduating students to get spaces for internship and National Service.
Alhaji Alhassan Mahama Sani, President of Tema Branch of the KNUST Alumini applauded the VC for her vision to take the university to the next level.
He said it was a great vision wisdom for Prof. Dickson to bring all the relevant stakeholders together especially the Alumni, many of whom are the movers and shakers of Ghana's economy, adding, "the Vice Chancellor has now made us to feel that we are indeed a part of our university and we are ever ready to support her vision."
The VC took time out of her engagement with the alumni to visit some key industries within the Industrial Hub of the Tema Metropolitan Area such as Volta Aluminium Company, Ghana Grid Company, Tema Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Cocoa Processing Company and the Tema Development Corporation to foster partnership and opportunities for the university.
The Tema branch members of the alumni presented a Citation in honour of the Vice Chancellor.