Ho (Volta Region) -- The Agricultural Engineering Department of Ho Polytechnic has initiated an engineering solution aimed at preventing the reoccurrence of the devastating loss suffered by the Volta River Estates Limited (VREL) when a windstorm destroyed 260 hectares out of its 300 hectares of banana plantation on October 12 this year.

"The disaster has brought banana exports from the farm to the European market to a halt thereby, plunging VREL into serious financial problems with the 600 workforce facing the risk of being sent home," a national daily reported in the aftermath of the disaster.

Dr George Mawusi Afeti, Principal of the Polytechnic who announced the initiative at the third congregation of the Polytechnic on Saturday did not give details of the proposed solution.

He said the Catering Department of the Polytechnic was able to develop 65 new recipes, which it hoped to commercialise with the support of Unilever (Ghana) Limited and other entrepreneurs in the food processing sector.

Dr Afeti said in the area of academic development, the over 14,000 books in its library have been computerised making it possible for their circulation to be done by computers.

"All the computers in our computer laboratory have been networked for teaching purposes and fully connected to the Internet," he added.

Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, Minister for Education who represented President John Agyekum Kufuor at the congregation, in his remarks appealed to the Polytechnic to be gradual in removing non-Higher National Diploma courses from its teaching programmes.

This was necessary to give many more people the opportunity to acquire technical skills pending the implementation of the government's programme to establish more technical schools in the country.

Professor Akumfi urged the authorities of the Polytechnic to finalise plans to introduce the Bachelor in Technology programme at the Polytechnic next year.

He however said, the introduction of the Bachelor programme in the Polytechnics would not follow a blanket pattern.

Professor Akumfi said the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) had requested his Ministry and the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa to do the necessary paper work in consultation with the Ministry of Roads and Highways towards the construction of an official access road to the polytechnic.

On staff recruitment, Professor Akumfi said Education and Health were given priority under a renewal programme and therefore asked the Polytechnics to examine the recommendations and come out within the next few days with a plan.

Professor Akumfi asked the 500 graduands to maintain links with the Polytechnic and the student corps and share practical experiences with them.