He said countries like Vietnam which produced 100,000 engineers a year were now the toast of the world as every manufacturing company was now locating to the country.
Dr Adutwum who was speaking at the launch of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) College of Engineering endowment fund in Accra said in order to develop, the country needed to train critical minds, that could innovate and compete with other countries, adding, that could be done through the study of engineering.
Another way of promoting engineering in the country, Dr Adutwum said, was improving science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, which was key to our transformation.
That, he said, was why the government, through the ministry was committed to ensuring its improvement through the building of STEM schools in the country.
Fund
The endowment fund, which was approved by the school in June 2021, will fund postgraduate scholarships by providing full tuition and stipend for students.
It will also nurture engineering innovations incubated in the college and give the necessary funding for prototyping and commercialisation.
Again, the fund will provide tools for the laboratories and workshops with state-of-the-art equipment to enhance quality research.
Additionally, it will also fund the recruitment of international and adjunct lecturers from industry and provide research support for faculty members.
Significant contribution
The Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority, Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, added that the story of the country could never be told without the significant contribution of engineers trained by the college.
“Engineering is a major contribution to national development in many aspects but more, importantly it is worth every pesewa of investment,” he said.
To ensure that engineering had adequate investment, Mr Antwi-Darkwa said it should be the obligation of all alumni of the college of engineering to give back to the institution that had shaped their lives.
He added that even with the college’s current little resources, it was gratifying to know that it had put in efforts to diversify its research efforts to develop scientific and technological innovations.
Mr Antwi-Darkwa, therefore, said the establishment of the endowment fund was timely as it would aid the college to do more for the development of the country.