- Salutations
- Second President of the Fourth Republic, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor
- His Royal Majesty Otumfour Osei Tutu II, represented by Nana Asafohene
- Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State
- The Majority Leader
- Chairman and Members of the University Council,
- The Vice-Chancellor,
- Pro Vice-Chancellor,
- Registrar,
- Members of Convocation,
- Esteemed Clergy,
- Former Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Mike Oquaye
- Nananom
- Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
- Fellow Ghanaians and Fellow Africans,
- Friends of Kumasi Technical University,
- Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is an honour to be here today to witness the investiture ceremony of an outstanding statesman who has become the first Chancellor of one of Ghana’s finest technical Universities, the Kumasi Technical University.
It is a well-deserved honour as all that you have done for Mother Ghana in the capacity as the former Board Chairman of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), President of the Ghana Medical Association, Member of Parliament of Manhyia Constituency, Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Interior establishes that it is entirely appropriate that you have been appointed as the Chancellor of the University.
Nonetheless, I believe the University could not have picked a worthier leader than you. Your worth of experience, as a Board Chairman of Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization (SMIDO) indicates your in-depth knowledge and already established interest in Technical and Vocational Education.
Your Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, representative of His Royal Majesty Otumfour Osei Tutu II, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is apt that the 1 st Chancellor is a son of the land of the Ashanti Kingdom who has been put in good stead to help propel the University unto greater heights to achieve the World Class University status.
I commend the authorities of this University, for the excellent choice of a distinguished person, one who is also happily a firm believer in academic freedom, and I am hopeful that the University will definitely feel the added benefit of your rich experiences.
For me today is a little emotional, because I personally know Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor. We all know him as a brilliant mind, high academic achiever, high professional achiever, a statesman, a family man, a God-fearing man. But for me there is one thing that crowns all of these defining characteristics of this eminent personality: Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor is a man of integrity, and therefore is a mentor for all of us in public service… and so for Kumasi Technical University to choose him as your Chancellor, you have virtually won the lottery. You can be assured of stellar leadership.
I urge you Dr. Chancellor and all the heads of our tertiary institutions to continue to make adequate preparations towards the extensive call for prioritizing Technical Education in Ghana and beyond. The Free Senior High School and Free TVET Policies have become permanent features of our educational architecture and their foundations shall be embedded in other reforms in the TVET Education.
Your Excellency, Chairman and members of the University Council, the Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellors, and members of convocation, Ladies and Gentlemen, I assure you of the government’s steadfast commitment and continuous support to the Kumasi Technical University and indeed to all other TVET institutions in the country.
Building on the foundations established by President John Agyekum Kufuor, the government of Nana Akufo-Addo has demonstrated a renewed commitment to technical and vocational education both at the secondary and tertiary levels. The vision of government since 2017 has been to align all TVET institutions in the country, to provide appropriate governance and management structure for a unified national TVET system.
The realignment of the TVET landscape is to provide coordination of the curriculum, training of trainers/facilitators, linkage with industry, entry requirement, training facilities, mode of delivery, assessment, certification system and employability of graduates by synchronizing all existing laws relating to skills training in the country.
In pursuit of this noble objective, I, on behalf of the President launched the Ghana TVET Service last year at a colourful event at the Accra Technical Training Centre. I am proud to see the many noticeable successes chalked by the management of the Ghana TVET Service.
Your Royal Majesty, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to announce that in the last six years, some significant interventions have been made in the TVET sector.
These include:
- We have upgraded and modernized all the erstwhile National Vocational and Technical Institutes (NVTI),
- upgraded and modernized the Head Offices together with 10 Regional Offices, upgraded and modernized five (5) apprenticeship offices across the country and,
- upgraded and modernized the Opportunity
Industrialization Center in Accra comprising the construction, rehabilitation and equipping of laboratories, workshops, additional classrooms, hostels, administrative, two (2) new foundries and machining centers – one in CSIR (Accra) and the other at KNUST, Kumasi.
In addition, are new workshops (computer, electrical, electronic, building construction, mechanical);
- rehabilitation of buildings in two (2) Technical institutes (Abetifi and Don Bosco) and four (4) Senior High Technical Schools (Kyebi SHTS, Dagbon State SHTS, St. Georges SHTS and GSTS)
- construction of five (5) new District TVET centers of excellence are ongoing with that of Anyinam and Pakyi No. 2 near completion while that of Assin Jakai in Central Region, Akomadan and Manso Abore in Ashanti Region will start soon.
Also, we have completed and inaugurated the rehabilitation and upgrading of ten (10) Technical Universities and thirteen (13) Technical Institutes which include construction of new workshops/laboratories and supply and installation of equipment fit for disciplines in electrical and electronics engineering, welding technology, automotive maintenance, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering.
In July this year at Abrankese in the Ashanti region, I cut sod for the construction of the First Phase of 32 State-of-the Art TVET centers to be built across the sixteen (16) regions of the country. The project is expected to comprise the establishment of one (1) TVET centre of excellence, sixteen (16) Category A Centres and fifteen (15) Category B Centres.
The First Phase is made up of nine (9) centers which will be located at Abrankese in the Ashanti region; Akyem Awisa in the Eastern Region; Boako in the Western North Region; Kenyasi in the Ahafo Region; Patuda in the Bono East Region; Dambai in the Oti Region; Salaga in the Savannah region; Guabuliga in the Northeast Region and Tolibri in the Upper West region.
All these institutions will be provided with a variety of infrastructure which ranges from administration blocks, accommodation facilities, common areas, playing grounds, furniture, fittings and external works, tools and equipments for workshops, and ICT. This is an indication that Government is committed to investing in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training infrastructure to meet the needs of industry and changing global standards.
Your Excellency, Your Royal Majesty, Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, with all these interventions it is my expectation and hope that, KsTU will continue to churn out graduates who are molded to take on the opportunities and possibilities for higher achievement through innovation and creativity in today’s technology-led knowledge-driven global economy and who will thereby help generate prosperity for the mass of our people in our time.
I believe that your continuous effort as an institution, led by results-driven Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor, in building the workforce of the future generation whose work will give full meaning to the words of our country’s motto “Freedom and Justice”, will bring forth the generation that will build a new Ghanaian civilization filled with possibilities.
Once again Chancellor, warm congratulations and I wish you the very best of luck and Gods guidance in the discharge of your large responsibilities. Enjoy every bit of this moment, you deserve it and have earned it a hundred folds.
May God bless Dr. Addo Kufuor and us all. And may God bless our homeland Ghana and make it great and strong.
I thank you for your attention.
Thank you.
