THE Lions Club of Tema, made up of professionals and business people, was at the weekend educated on the benefits and the usage of the e-zwich system.
The resource persons drawn from the Trust Bank (ttb), took members of the club through the handling of the point of sale (pos) equipment and the use of the smart card.
According to the Supervisor of the Electronic Funds Transfer Unit of the bank, Mr Ato Kwamina Wilberforce, the system would reduce fraud, eliminate counterfeit from the banking system and provide secured movement and payment of cash.
He gave the assurance that the introduction of the e-zwich system would not automatically remove cash from peoples pockets but will rather encourage the country to achieve its objectives of becoming a middle income one.
Mr Wilberforce said patrons also had the benefits of easy access to money 24 hours daily without any hindrance.
He noted that e-zwich card holders could keep track of their spending at any time, and therefore would remove doubts about further reconciliations.
Mr Wilberforce stated that as business people and professionals they had limited time and therefore writing of cheques could take more time than the use of the e-zwich system. He explained that the use of the e-zwich smartcard saved the card holder from any identification at the time of transaction.
Mr Wilberforce said the e-zwich smartcard frees card holders from carrying cash or cheques books.
He advised them to embrace the new system since cheques were not readily accepted by merchants for fear of fraud and forgery.
Mr Wilberforce said the security features of the e-zwich on the point of sale terminal was unique because the card holder would use biometrics fingerprint verification to access their accounts and every finger had different print, making it difficult for another person to access the account.
He said the account was immediately debited and the amount involved credited to the merchants account.
The Business Manager, Commercial and Consumer Banking of the Trust Bank, Mr Robert Danso-Boakye, observed that all banks in the country had joined the system to create an electronic payment platform after undergoing a successful experimentation.
He noted that it was the first payment system introduced by the central bank to further make banking easy and attractive for everybody.
Mr Danso-Boakye urged them to seek further clarification at any bank of their choice, and that the card had been designed to provide convenience, making purchases wherever the e-zwich smart poster was displayed.
He explained that those referred to as merchants were retailers who had agreed in conjunction with any bank to accept the e-zwich smart card for payment of goods and services.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
EXTEND MILITARY-POLICE PATROLS TO HOTELS (GRAPHIC, JULY 21, PAGE 29)
Security agencies have been urged to extend their crime combat operations to cover hotels to protect the numerous guests who patronise such facilities in the metropolis, some residents in Tema have advocated.
They were of the view that some ‘crooked business tycoons’ would want to use the hotels as their haven to engage in various illegal activities.
Some of the residents of Tema made the request when the Daily Graphic was finding out the role of the hotels in the fight against crimes and the impact of police swoops on criminals at their hideouts.
They told the Daily Graphic that hotels, especially those located in very obscure places, were possible areas where some criminal activities started and suspects who had been declared wanted also sought refuge.
The police in Tema have in recent times swooped on hideouts and dens of drug peddlers and arrested many suspects who were found with locally manufactured pistols, and quantities of dried leaves and white substances suspected to be hard drugs.
Most residents hold the view that some of the suspects who were arrested but did not have anything on them went back to the hideouts immediately they were released for lack of evidence.
Those interviewed claimed that the Tema police must locate the hideouts of robbers who rape, kill and loot personal properties because they must have engaged in such crimes after indulging in the hard drugs.
Others commented on the springing up of drinking spots, which could not be classified as hotels, bars or restaurants. “Patronage of such spots is limited to only registered members or ‘a certain class of people’ under the guise of going to drink alcoholic beverages, which are sold at double the real cost to prevent non members from going there,” they contended.
The Tema Regional Chairman of the Ghana Hoteliers Association, Nana Kofi Opei V, said support from the security agencies was necessary.
Nana Opei said Tema and its environs, apart from boasting numerous features that attracted tourists, could be a fertile grounds for suspicious characters.
He said as of June 26, 2008 the branch had 148 registered members with six others on its waiting list with eight others yet to make any moves to register.
Nana Opei said people with bad intentions could sneak into the country through the eastern corridor especially with the oil find and leave without being seen.
The hotel business, he noted, was a private sector player, which had provided employment for many people in various spheres of life.
The Meridian Hotel which overlooked the harbour and was abandoned some 40 years ago became the haven for drug addicts and pushers and served as a den for immoral activities.
The state-owned facility had to be abandoned after some leakage were found but could not be remedied because the plan on the project could not be traced.
Investigations led to the discovery that the edifice with its new Malaysians owners had plans to provide a modern restaurant, office complex, shopping mall and swimming pools.
The abandoned structure became a security risk until the Malaysians took over to ensure that people kept away from it.
There are other hotel projects springing up in the metropolis which makes it prudent for the police to take note of all of them and check their books for genuine guests.
The residents of Tema have called for a strong collaboration between the police and the operators of hotels to expose criminals who used their premises to achieve their parochial objectives.
The police have to act to alert criminals that they could not use hotels as their hiding places before many such facilities spring up.
The Deputy Executive Director of the Ghana Tourist Board, Mr Edwin Owusu Mensah, had said at the Second National Executive Council meeting of the Ghana Hoteliers Association that the board would before the end of the year set up an office in Tema to handle all issues pertaining to the hospitality industry.
They were of the view that some ‘crooked business tycoons’ would want to use the hotels as their haven to engage in various illegal activities.
Some of the residents of Tema made the request when the Daily Graphic was finding out the role of the hotels in the fight against crimes and the impact of police swoops on criminals at their hideouts.
They told the Daily Graphic that hotels, especially those located in very obscure places, were possible areas where some criminal activities started and suspects who had been declared wanted also sought refuge.
The police in Tema have in recent times swooped on hideouts and dens of drug peddlers and arrested many suspects who were found with locally manufactured pistols, and quantities of dried leaves and white substances suspected to be hard drugs.
Most residents hold the view that some of the suspects who were arrested but did not have anything on them went back to the hideouts immediately they were released for lack of evidence.
Those interviewed claimed that the Tema police must locate the hideouts of robbers who rape, kill and loot personal properties because they must have engaged in such crimes after indulging in the hard drugs.
Others commented on the springing up of drinking spots, which could not be classified as hotels, bars or restaurants. “Patronage of such spots is limited to only registered members or ‘a certain class of people’ under the guise of going to drink alcoholic beverages, which are sold at double the real cost to prevent non members from going there,” they contended.
The Tema Regional Chairman of the Ghana Hoteliers Association, Nana Kofi Opei V, said support from the security agencies was necessary.
Nana Opei said Tema and its environs, apart from boasting numerous features that attracted tourists, could be a fertile grounds for suspicious characters.
He said as of June 26, 2008 the branch had 148 registered members with six others on its waiting list with eight others yet to make any moves to register.
Nana Opei said people with bad intentions could sneak into the country through the eastern corridor especially with the oil find and leave without being seen.
The hotel business, he noted, was a private sector player, which had provided employment for many people in various spheres of life.
The Meridian Hotel which overlooked the harbour and was abandoned some 40 years ago became the haven for drug addicts and pushers and served as a den for immoral activities.
The state-owned facility had to be abandoned after some leakage were found but could not be remedied because the plan on the project could not be traced.
Investigations led to the discovery that the edifice with its new Malaysians owners had plans to provide a modern restaurant, office complex, shopping mall and swimming pools.
The abandoned structure became a security risk until the Malaysians took over to ensure that people kept away from it.
There are other hotel projects springing up in the metropolis which makes it prudent for the police to take note of all of them and check their books for genuine guests.
The residents of Tema have called for a strong collaboration between the police and the operators of hotels to expose criminals who used their premises to achieve their parochial objectives.
The police have to act to alert criminals that they could not use hotels as their hiding places before many such facilities spring up.
The Deputy Executive Director of the Ghana Tourist Board, Mr Edwin Owusu Mensah, had said at the Second National Executive Council meeting of the Ghana Hoteliers Association that the board would before the end of the year set up an office in Tema to handle all issues pertaining to the hospitality industry.
Monday, July 21, 2008
KAKASUNANKA ABANDONS TOILET (PAGE 47)
A fully completed six-seater modern toilet facility has been abandoned for the past four years at Kakasunanka near Tema because it is said to be sitting on a main waterline from the Kpong Water Works that serves communities in Tema and Accra.
The toilet has now become an attraction as one approaches the Michel Camp barracks on the way from the Afienya toll booth end, standing tall in overgrown bushes with the ‘closed down’ sign showing glaringly.
Ironically, another water closet facility that is near completion and supposed to replace the abandoned one has also been left to the wrath of the weather because, according to the contractor, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly owed him an undisclosed amount for work done.
When the Assembly Member for the Kakasunanka Electoral Area Mr Samuelson Alenge, was contacted, he confirmed that the Assembly initiated the project for the area but later realised it was a health hazard.
He said it was noted that in case of any leakage the treated water passing through the line could be contaminated with affluent from the facility.
Mr Alenge could not confirm or deny if there was a survey and site analysis before the structure was put up but said it was unfortunate that such a situation had come up.
He was also not happy that work on the new one to replace it had also been abandoned because of the indebtedness of the Assembly to the contractor.
When asked what facility served the people in the absence of the two facilities, Mr Alenge said the absence of a public facility had created an unsanitary condition because people attended to the call of nature anywhere in the bush around.
He said some opinion leaders and the youth in the area made up of nine communities had decided to protest against the Assembly and the contractor to relieve them of their predicament.
Mr Alenge said his call for action to be taken on the project had not yielded any result as the structure continued to be abandoned in the bush while the new one was yet to be fitted with certain accessories.
He disclosed that the Assembly had plans to convert the abandoned completed structure that could not be used as a toilet facility into a revenue office to collect tolls for the Assembly.
Some members of the community who the Daily Graphic spoke to were not happy about the situation and appealed to the authorities to go to their aid to complete the new one for their use.
A source at the Tema Metropolitan Assembly confirmed that the projects had been abandoned but could not tell when work would start to complete the new one because of lack of funds.
The toilet has now become an attraction as one approaches the Michel Camp barracks on the way from the Afienya toll booth end, standing tall in overgrown bushes with the ‘closed down’ sign showing glaringly.
Ironically, another water closet facility that is near completion and supposed to replace the abandoned one has also been left to the wrath of the weather because, according to the contractor, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly owed him an undisclosed amount for work done.
When the Assembly Member for the Kakasunanka Electoral Area Mr Samuelson Alenge, was contacted, he confirmed that the Assembly initiated the project for the area but later realised it was a health hazard.
He said it was noted that in case of any leakage the treated water passing through the line could be contaminated with affluent from the facility.
Mr Alenge could not confirm or deny if there was a survey and site analysis before the structure was put up but said it was unfortunate that such a situation had come up.
He was also not happy that work on the new one to replace it had also been abandoned because of the indebtedness of the Assembly to the contractor.
When asked what facility served the people in the absence of the two facilities, Mr Alenge said the absence of a public facility had created an unsanitary condition because people attended to the call of nature anywhere in the bush around.
He said some opinion leaders and the youth in the area made up of nine communities had decided to protest against the Assembly and the contractor to relieve them of their predicament.
Mr Alenge said his call for action to be taken on the project had not yielded any result as the structure continued to be abandoned in the bush while the new one was yet to be fitted with certain accessories.
He disclosed that the Assembly had plans to convert the abandoned completed structure that could not be used as a toilet facility into a revenue office to collect tolls for the Assembly.
Some members of the community who the Daily Graphic spoke to were not happy about the situation and appealed to the authorities to go to their aid to complete the new one for their use.
A source at the Tema Metropolitan Assembly confirmed that the projects had been abandoned but could not tell when work would start to complete the new one because of lack of funds.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
UK STUDENTS VISIT TEMA MANTSE (PAGE 21)
Four officials and 10 students from Rossington All Saint College in Doncaster in the United Kingdom are in Ghana on a Greenwich Meridian partnership programme between the school and the Akodzo Junior High School in Tema that involves the study of culture between the two counties.
The 14-member delegation, led by the head of the college, Mr David Russel, paid a courtesy call on the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku.
They were treated to traditional singing and dancing blended with local games by an all-women group of Tema Manhean.
The co-ordinator of the programme, code-named 'Dreams and Teams’, Mr Adu Ayeh, explained that the partnership was sponsored by the British Council to expose British students to the culture of other children in other countries.
He said the two schools had been in the relationship for the past three years during which period visits had been exchanged.
Mr Ayeh said the relationship had led to the presentation of learning materials to the Akodzo school.
Mr Ayeh commended the British Council for the initiative to make available sponsorship package for the future leaders to have first-hand information about each other's country.
He said the British students, who enjoyed playing local games like 'ampe', taught their Ghanaians counterparts how to work on the computer.
Nii Adjei Kraku expressed appreciation for the relationship between the schools, which had been made possible because of the identical locations of the communities associated with the Greenwich Meridian.
He called for the need to have and strengthen a relationship among students of the two schools and appealed to the British Council to extend the programme to cover as many children as possible in Tema Manhean.
Nii Kraku disclosed that the people of Tema had instituted an education fund, which offers scholarships to the needy, and appealed to the leadership of the delegation to enhance the fund by extending a hand to the needy in Tema.
Mr Russell was installed as a development chief of Tema under the stool name Nii Adjetey Angmukeba, which was explained to mean “brought by the mystic (Greenwich)”.
He thanked the chief and elders of Tema and said he was prepared to honour invitations to their traditional celebrations when possible.
The 14-member delegation, led by the head of the college, Mr David Russel, paid a courtesy call on the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku.
They were treated to traditional singing and dancing blended with local games by an all-women group of Tema Manhean.
The co-ordinator of the programme, code-named 'Dreams and Teams’, Mr Adu Ayeh, explained that the partnership was sponsored by the British Council to expose British students to the culture of other children in other countries.
He said the two schools had been in the relationship for the past three years during which period visits had been exchanged.
Mr Ayeh said the relationship had led to the presentation of learning materials to the Akodzo school.
Mr Ayeh commended the British Council for the initiative to make available sponsorship package for the future leaders to have first-hand information about each other's country.
He said the British students, who enjoyed playing local games like 'ampe', taught their Ghanaians counterparts how to work on the computer.
Nii Adjei Kraku expressed appreciation for the relationship between the schools, which had been made possible because of the identical locations of the communities associated with the Greenwich Meridian.
He called for the need to have and strengthen a relationship among students of the two schools and appealed to the British Council to extend the programme to cover as many children as possible in Tema Manhean.
Nii Kraku disclosed that the people of Tema had instituted an education fund, which offers scholarships to the needy, and appealed to the leadership of the delegation to enhance the fund by extending a hand to the needy in Tema.
Mr Russell was installed as a development chief of Tema under the stool name Nii Adjetey Angmukeba, which was explained to mean “brought by the mystic (Greenwich)”.
He thanked the chief and elders of Tema and said he was prepared to honour invitations to their traditional celebrations when possible.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
COMPANY DEVELOPS MINI-REFINERY (SPREAD)
THE Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDC), one of the oil companies which has applied to prospect for oil in Ghana, has developed a mini- oil refinery.
Briefing the media in Tema, Mr John Holland, the President of the UK-based OGDC, said the mini refinery had been designed to refine crude oil on site.
He explained that the refinery was economically viable because it could operate on site, thereby cutting down on the high cost of lifting the crude oil to a refinery.
He told the media that as soon as the OGDC received its operating licence, the OGDC would formalise its $2-billion deep water and onshore oil and gas drilling project.
He disclosed that the project would create more than 2,400 jobs for Ghanaians, who will be involved in the construction of the refinery and the fabrication of swamp barges.
Mr Holland said a leading venture capital organisation had mandated the OGDC to manage four drilling swamp barges for use on charter basis in West African and South Asian oil and gas markets.
Meanwhile, the OGDC has opened offices in Tema, Nigeria, China and Brazil.
Briefing the media in Tema, Mr John Holland, the President of the UK-based OGDC, said the mini refinery had been designed to refine crude oil on site.
He explained that the refinery was economically viable because it could operate on site, thereby cutting down on the high cost of lifting the crude oil to a refinery.
He told the media that as soon as the OGDC received its operating licence, the OGDC would formalise its $2-billion deep water and onshore oil and gas drilling project.
He disclosed that the project would create more than 2,400 jobs for Ghanaians, who will be involved in the construction of the refinery and the fabrication of swamp barges.
Mr Holland said a leading venture capital organisation had mandated the OGDC to manage four drilling swamp barges for use on charter basis in West African and South Asian oil and gas markets.
Meanwhile, the OGDC has opened offices in Tema, Nigeria, China and Brazil.
Friday, July 11, 2008
UK COMPANY DESIGNS MINI OIL REFINERY (PAGE 35)
OIL and Gas Development Corporation (OGDC), a United Kingdom-based company, has innovated a mini oil refinery exclusively designed to refine crude oil on site and supply the product to remote or climatically harsh regions for local use.
This is to add value to existing natural resources to meet domestic demands and create stable foreign revenue streams.
Speaking to the media at a forum in Tema, the President of the OGDC, Mr John Holland, explained that the mini refineries would be economically viable in countries where local crude was available because it could be cost-effective to apply the technology in areas with poor roads to remove the high cost involved in transporting refined fuels from urban centres.
He noted that the system had been built with features to encourage simplicity of design, modular construction, intuitive plant operator interfaces and reliability to ensure a successful mini refining operation.
He said with the assurance of having oil in Ghana, the OGDC was in the process of formalising its operations to start a $2 billion oil drilling project to be involved in deep water offshore and onshore oil and gas processing, refinery and petrochemical.
He stated that after receiving its documents, which were at the final processing stage, the OGDC would take about 14 to 16 months to complete the project and start production.
Mr Holland disclosed that the project would feed the new technology of refining oil on site in remote areas.
He disclosed that the project would create over 2,400 jobs for Ghanaians to be involved in the construction of the refinery and about 380 others in fabricating and constructing swamp barges.
Mr Holland said a leading Venture Capital organisation had mandated OGDC to manage four new drilling swamp barges for use on charter basis in the West African and South Asian oil and gas markets.
He said the OGDC recently signed a 100 per cent funding package with a leading United States investment and merchant banking organisation to project manage the design fabrication and construction of a new export refinery and offshore deep water rig repair and offshore support facility.
Mr Holland said discussions were ongoing between the OGDC and government officials to identify the most strategic locations for these facilities.
He said the OGDC had also been awarded its own allocation for the purchase of feed stock that would be required to effectively utilise the refinery.
He said in addition, talks had been held with representatives of neighbouring ECOWAS countries to establish processing agreements.
Meanwhile, the OGDC has opened offices in Tema, Nigeria, China, Brazil, among others, and will, in the future, open additional locations near its facilities.
This is to add value to existing natural resources to meet domestic demands and create stable foreign revenue streams.
Speaking to the media at a forum in Tema, the President of the OGDC, Mr John Holland, explained that the mini refineries would be economically viable in countries where local crude was available because it could be cost-effective to apply the technology in areas with poor roads to remove the high cost involved in transporting refined fuels from urban centres.
He noted that the system had been built with features to encourage simplicity of design, modular construction, intuitive plant operator interfaces and reliability to ensure a successful mini refining operation.
He said with the assurance of having oil in Ghana, the OGDC was in the process of formalising its operations to start a $2 billion oil drilling project to be involved in deep water offshore and onshore oil and gas processing, refinery and petrochemical.
He stated that after receiving its documents, which were at the final processing stage, the OGDC would take about 14 to 16 months to complete the project and start production.
Mr Holland disclosed that the project would feed the new technology of refining oil on site in remote areas.
He disclosed that the project would create over 2,400 jobs for Ghanaians to be involved in the construction of the refinery and about 380 others in fabricating and constructing swamp barges.
Mr Holland said a leading Venture Capital organisation had mandated OGDC to manage four new drilling swamp barges for use on charter basis in the West African and South Asian oil and gas markets.
He said the OGDC recently signed a 100 per cent funding package with a leading United States investment and merchant banking organisation to project manage the design fabrication and construction of a new export refinery and offshore deep water rig repair and offshore support facility.
Mr Holland said discussions were ongoing between the OGDC and government officials to identify the most strategic locations for these facilities.
He said the OGDC had also been awarded its own allocation for the purchase of feed stock that would be required to effectively utilise the refinery.
He said in addition, talks had been held with representatives of neighbouring ECOWAS countries to establish processing agreements.
Meanwhile, the OGDC has opened offices in Tema, Nigeria, China, Brazil, among others, and will, in the future, open additional locations near its facilities.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
LET'S BUILD HUMAN CAPACITY FOR OIL INDUSTRY (PAGE 54)
THE discovery of oil in commercial quantities in Ghana has thrown a serious challenge to the technical sector of the country’s educational system, Dr Ali Abugre, the Deputy Managing Director in charge of Engineering and Management at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), has observed.
He has, therefore, advocated the provision of proper infrastructure and systems in technical institutions and universities to build the human capacity to handle the country’s upstream sector of the oil Industry.
Dr Abugre was speaking at the first commendation service of the Tema Technical Institute (TTI) during which 269 students passed out after undertaking courses in various fields, including mechanical engineering craft practice, industrial mechanics, electrical installation works, welding, photography, tailoring, blocklaying and printing in both advanced and intermediate programmes.
The service was on the theme, “Technical education and training — A dependable source of effective industrial growth and self-employment”.
Dr Abugre was of the view that learning must be acquired by means of projects to ensure occupational competency to enable trainees to develop entrepreneurial thinking at end of their training.
He explained that on-the-job training programmes had ignored long-term strategic importance to the economy as a whole to meet career objectives and rather focused on the needs of the enterprise.
Dr Abugre called on employers organisations to play important roles in influencing training policy and governance, drawing attention to the need for long-term investment in continuous training.
He noted that vocational education and training had been seen as a solution to the absence of skilled labour to industry, as well as facilitating the transition from school to work for disadvantaged youth.
The Director of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Asamoah Duodu, indicated that there was an increasing importance now attached to technical and vocational education and training by most African governments, including Ghana.
He observed that that was reflected in the various poverty reduction strategy papers that governments had developed in collaboration with the World Bank.
Mr Duodu said the country’s reward system had disadvantaged those who entered technical and vocational institutions because consideration was given to those with university degrees, irrespective of the skills they had.
He stated that that had resulted in graduates of most technical institutes craving to enter the universities, instead of improving with the skills acquired.
Mr Duodu said that trend of affairs could adversely affect the country’s technical skills, with serious consequences for enrolment in the engineering and building programmes in polytechnics.
He said there were many young men and women drifting into the urban centres in search of jobs but because they had purely academic-oriented education, without any occupational skills, they had become unemployed.
Mr Duodu advised the graduates to apply the virtues they had learnt to their future endeavours to meet the challenges waiting for them.
He urged them to work hard and be submissive to their employers to gain the necessary experience, which would mould them into masters of their trades.
The principal of the institute, Mr George Provençal, said the 269 students had two to three years academic and practical training in their various fields.
They were also given industrial internship, educational field trips, among others, that went into effective technical training, he added.
He has, therefore, advocated the provision of proper infrastructure and systems in technical institutions and universities to build the human capacity to handle the country’s upstream sector of the oil Industry.
Dr Abugre was speaking at the first commendation service of the Tema Technical Institute (TTI) during which 269 students passed out after undertaking courses in various fields, including mechanical engineering craft practice, industrial mechanics, electrical installation works, welding, photography, tailoring, blocklaying and printing in both advanced and intermediate programmes.
The service was on the theme, “Technical education and training — A dependable source of effective industrial growth and self-employment”.
Dr Abugre was of the view that learning must be acquired by means of projects to ensure occupational competency to enable trainees to develop entrepreneurial thinking at end of their training.
He explained that on-the-job training programmes had ignored long-term strategic importance to the economy as a whole to meet career objectives and rather focused on the needs of the enterprise.
Dr Abugre called on employers organisations to play important roles in influencing training policy and governance, drawing attention to the need for long-term investment in continuous training.
He noted that vocational education and training had been seen as a solution to the absence of skilled labour to industry, as well as facilitating the transition from school to work for disadvantaged youth.
The Director of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Asamoah Duodu, indicated that there was an increasing importance now attached to technical and vocational education and training by most African governments, including Ghana.
He observed that that was reflected in the various poverty reduction strategy papers that governments had developed in collaboration with the World Bank.
Mr Duodu said the country’s reward system had disadvantaged those who entered technical and vocational institutions because consideration was given to those with university degrees, irrespective of the skills they had.
He stated that that had resulted in graduates of most technical institutes craving to enter the universities, instead of improving with the skills acquired.
Mr Duodu said that trend of affairs could adversely affect the country’s technical skills, with serious consequences for enrolment in the engineering and building programmes in polytechnics.
He said there were many young men and women drifting into the urban centres in search of jobs but because they had purely academic-oriented education, without any occupational skills, they had become unemployed.
Mr Duodu advised the graduates to apply the virtues they had learnt to their future endeavours to meet the challenges waiting for them.
He urged them to work hard and be submissive to their employers to gain the necessary experience, which would mould them into masters of their trades.
The principal of the institute, Mr George Provençal, said the 269 students had two to three years academic and practical training in their various fields.
They were also given industrial internship, educational field trips, among others, that went into effective technical training, he added.
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