The management of the Clement Kubindiwo Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS) has expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Assemblies of God (AG), Ghana, for renovating the University's auditorium.

The leadership of the church, led by the General Superintendent, Reverend Stephen Yenusom Wengam, gave a facelift to the auditorium as its support to the university.

The renovation was done at a cost of GHS250,000.00.

Professor Albert Luguterah, the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the university, disclosed this, and commended the AG, Ghana at the fourth congregation of the university in Navrongo in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region.

'On behalf of the University, we thank them for this huge support and invite other collaborators and investors to lend a helping hand to the University - our doors are always open,' the VC said.

Professor Luguterah noted that the challenges of the University were multifaceted, saying 'As a young University with a Science and Technology mandate, several critical staff are needed to teach, provide practical and laboratory-based training as well as provide administrative and professional support.'

He mentioned that the road network of less than five kilometres on the entire campus was untarred, 'not an inch of our road network is tarred.'

Professor Luguterah also raised concerns about inadequate well-equipped laboratories of the University for hands-on training of students.

'As a Science and Technology University, we need adequate and well-equipped laboratories, for hands-on training of our students. A three-storey laboratory complex being funded by GETFund, which would have been of great help, is currently stalled.

'It is our prayer that funds will be released to complete this project as soon as possible,' the VC said.

He expressed management's gratitude to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) for its efforts, through the Tertiary Improvement Programme (TEIP), for commencing the construction of a 440-bed capacity hostel for students.

'I will appeal to GETFund to readily make funds available to complete this project on schedule. The University urgently needs this project because the hostels owned by the university have a total holding capacity of only 256.

'Thus, only about seven per cent of our student population can be housed in the university. This makes it a challenge to attract fresh students outside the vicinity,' Professor Luguterah said.

He noted that despite the University's numerous challenges, it made some significant gains, including significant growth in staff development; promotions across all staff categories.

He said there was also successful accreditation of new programmes, and re-accreditation of existing programmes, establishment of a state-of-the-art Skills Laboratory for its School of Nursing and Midwifery.

He disclosed that students of the university won the national innovative and entrepreneurial championship of the Enactus World Cup for the fourth consecutive time and were scheduled to represent Ghana in Astana, Kazakhstan, for the World Cup in October 2024.

'They will be competing with 36 other nations. Last year we reached the semi-finals, and we are hopeful that this year we can bring the world cup to Ghana and Navrongo,' he said.

The Upper East Regional Minister, Alhaji Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, in his address, assured the management of the university that the stalled 400 student capacity hostel and a science laboratory complex under the GETFund would be completed.

Source: Ghana News Agency