Ho, Aug 13, GNA -Participants at the Fourth Annual School of Engineering Research Retreat (SERR 4), of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), have called on the Government to increase its funding to Applied Engineering and Technology Research. A 10-point communiqu=E9 signed by Dr Koblah Dzisi, Co-ordinator of the retreat, urged the Government to make KNUST its consultant on matters relating to Applied Engineering and Technology.

It appealed to the Executive to facilitate the extension of the National Fibre Optic Broadband Backbones, being managed by the Ghana Telecom (SAT3) and Volta River Authority/Voltacom (OPGD) to KNUST and other Research Institutes and Universities to boost Information Communication Technology (ICT) research and development.

It said government's priority areas which border on applied science, engineering and technology should be identified and studied for a meaningful realisation of the Golden Age of Business.

The communiqu=E9 called for closer collaboration between the academia, public and private industries, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in addressing relevant national priorities for wealth generation and poverty reduction.

It pledged to contribute to the competitive business atmosphere through the provision of efficient and environmentally friendly technologies in agriculture, agro-processing, post-harvest loses, waste management, transportation, manufacturing, education, energy, ICT and management. The retreat was under the theme, "Golden Age of Business: The Engineers' Perspective" and attended by lecturers and representatives of industrial establishments.