Accra Poly holds maiden exhibition
Accra Polytechnic has opened its maiden Exhibition and Poster Conference to showcase a variety of products from its 15 departments.
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The three-day event with the theme: “Polytechnic Education: The Catalyst to Ghana’s Industrial Development”, has on display products that indicate hands-on skills, innovation and talents of staff and students to the public.
Opening the exhibition and conference, a Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said he was impressed by the wealth of expertise that the polytechnic presented, as well as the spectrum of important exhibits that staff and students had put on display.
He said polytechnics were application-oriented institutions that must focus on the transmission and exploration of knowledge through practical teaching, creation of knowledge through applied research and application of scientific theories for the advancement of society.
“You are expected to teach your students how to create employment and not to depend on government for non-existent jobs,” he noted.
He said he was delighted to participate in the programme and hope that the polytechnics had what it took to impart knowledge, as well as nurture younger generations intellectually, physically, morally, socially, economically and technically.
Mr Ablakwa expressed the hope that the hands-on talents and skills would market the polytechnic to the international community, and attract tremendous research funds to the polytechnic.
The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Sylvester Achio, described the exhibition as very important in the history of the institution.
“Accra Polytechnic has instituted a scheme to fund competitive research proposals from staff and we have already paid out some money for approved staff research proposals. We have also instituted the Accra Polytechnic Internal Research Conference which serves as a platform for discussing staff research findings and improving upon future research,” he said.
The President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI),Nana Owusu-Afari, affirmed the association’s commitment to technical education “as a catalyst needed to spur our industrial development on.”
He said although there were numerous opportunities for polytechnic graduates, it was equally important to build the requisite capacity to leverage those opportunities.
By Emmanuel Bonney/Daily Graphic/Ghana