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Government urged to invest in Ghanaian innovations

• Prof Acakpovi (fifth from left) and other dignitaries with staff of ATU Photo: Lizzy Okai

Prof Acakpovi (fifth from left) and other dignitaries with staff of ATU Photo: Lizzy Okai

Academia, industry and the government have been urged to come together in order to utlise Ghanaian innovations to create jobs and foster economic development.

This, according to the Director of CSIR-Institute of Industrial Research (CSIR-IIR), Dr Francis Boateng Agyemin, would ensure that innovations and skills of Ghanaian youth were not left untapped.

Dr Agyenim was speaking at the Second Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) Lecture Series organised by the Accra Technical University (ATU) under the theme: ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem,’ on Tuesday as part of their 75th anniversary celebrations.

He added that, several innovative ideas have been left untouched and Ghana would suffer the consequences if the situation does not change.

He said technical education played a crucial role in shaping the future of the country and government must focus on that sector.

“Through the support of the government, we can have an innovation drive where every Ghanaian youth can excel and support development,” he stated.

He urged the ATU to continuously engage in research with professors leading the charge, and liaise with industry and government to translate same into creating jobs.

Also speaking on the day was the Executive Chairman of Celltel Networks Limited, Dr Prince Kofi Kludjeson who mentioned that Ghana was not a broke country but only suffering from the consequences of not utilising innovations and youthful ideas to propel development.

He said it was possible to ensure that all students have a device with connected data or wifi to use at all times for research and innovation purposes.

“We need to empower Ghanaian students, learn on their own and assist in the transformation of the country,” he stressed.

Technical Universities, he said, were the foundation of Ghana’s development, hence the need to take a step back and nurture innovations.

He commended the ATU for the session, adding that, more of such should be held and essentially engage the government for practical collaborations.

The Ag. Vice Chancellor of the ATU, Prof. Amevi Acakpovi, expressed appreciation to the speakers for their insightful presentations which would go a long way to support their efforts towards impacting the country through innovations.

The ATU, he said had been at the forefront as far as innovations are concerned and engaged in activities including Artificial Intelligence (AI) training for staff, establishing a Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation as well as an AI Digital Laboratory at the ATU.

By Michael D. Abayateye

News

Committee probing petitions against Chief Justice to begin hearings tomorrow

The Committee set up by President John Dramani Mahama to inquire into three petitions filec against the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, will commence hearings tomorrow, Thursday May 15, 2025.

The five-member Committee chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang of the Supreme Court, was set up by the President in accordance with Article 146(6) of the 1992 constitution and in consultation with the Council of State, following a determination of a prima facie case against the Chief Justice.

The committee will sit three times a week and present their recommendations to the President upon completion of their work.

It would be recalled that President John Dramani Mahama recently suspended Chief Justice following the establishment of a prima facie case in response to three separate petitions seeking her removal from office.

News

38-year-old man gets life imprisonment for killing Assemblies of God pastor in 2018

After close to seven years of trial, a seven-member jury on Wednesday, May 14, returned a guilty verdict in the murder case involving the killing of the Senior Pastor of the Central Assemblies of God church at Tema in 2018.

The convict, Francis Nabegmado, a relative of the deceased, inflicted a fatal knife wound on Rev. Dr. David Nabegmado on December 30, 2018, after alleging that the senior pastor was a false preacher who engaged in idol worship and human sacrifices.

After an hour of summing up by the judge, Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, the jury retired briefly and returned with a unanimous guilty verdict.

Based on the unanimous verdict of the jurors who had previously studied the statements of the five witnesses called by the prosecution, and listened to the summing up process, the judge sentenced the 38-year-old to life imprisonment.

When he was offered an opportunity to comment on the verdict, the convict told the judge that he wanted to go home to meet his family.

“My Lady, I want to see my family, and I want to be taken to Yendi”.

When the judge told him she couldn’t make such an order for him to go and see his family in Yendi, the convict forcefully said, “I insist”.

Francis, who will now spend the rest of his life at the Nsawam medium security prison, had told the court throughout the trial that the decision to attack his uncle, Rev. Nebegmado, was driven by insanity, but that did not save him from receiving a life sentence.

Speaking briefly after the sentencing, Senior Pastor of the Assemblies of God church at Tema Community 4, Rev. Emmanuel Kwesi Ofori, said the church has been waiting for this closure for the past seven years and will soon issue an official statement.

Source: Myjoyonline.com