Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman-Badu II, Paramount Chief of Dormaa, has charged students of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) to develop skills to provide solution to Ghana’s energy crisis.

Osagyefo Agyeman-Badu said the energy challenges were surmounting and called for the development and application of appropriate technology to solve the problems

Osagyefo Agyeman-Badu was speaking at the maiden matriculation of students of the Dormaa Campus of the University at Kyeremasu, near Dormaa-Ahenkro, in the Dormaa Central Municipality of Brong-Ahafo Region.

He noted that Ghana’s technological progress as compared to that of developed countries was miles behind and advised the matriculates to take their studies seriously to be well-equipped with requisite knowledge, skills and expertise to enable them to address the technology deficit.

Osagyefo Agyeman-Badu presented a cheque for GHC20, 000.00 as part of a GHC200, 000.00 pledges to assist the University’s infrastructural development expansion programmes.

He promised to deliver other items, including 850 bags of cement, six television sets and six air-conditioners for six rooms of his hostel facility and other building materials.

Professor Mrs. Esi Awuah, Vice-Chancellor of the University, said the institution had since its inception in 2012 grown steadily in the number of student intake from 154 to 560.

She stated the institution had remarkably increased its academic programmes from three in the 2012/2013 academic year to 19 now.

Prof. Mrs. Awuah said the programmes were run by the School of Engineering, School of Sciences, School of Natural Resources and the School of Agriculture and Technology.

She reiterated the need for an agricultural revolution based on productivity -to help “raise almost a million Ghanaians out of poverty by 2015, improve livelihoods significantly, and make an impact in the poverty alleviation strategy in rural Ghana”.

The Vice-Chancellor said the School of Agriculture and Technology’s Vision would be to churn out a generation of graduates to effectively and efficiently address the numerous challenges confronting the agricultural sector and make it more economically vibrant and globally relevant.

“This would be achieved by incorporating teaching, research and outreach programmes in agriculture to promote performance, efficiency and competitiveness in the sector,” she said.

“We at UENR will start our own Agribusiness and begin export of horticultural crops to neighbouring and other countries with high-quality products that will meet international standards,” she added.

Prof. Mrs. Awuah said the University had signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with selected foreign Universities to take students and staff on exchange programmes.