The Civil Engineering Class of 1996, an alumni class of the College of Engineering (CoE) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is the first Class to donate to the College. The Class made a donation of Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH₵50,000.00) to the Endowment Fund of the CoE at the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) 2022 Annual Conference and 52nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the La Palm Royal Hotel, Accra on 30th March, 2022.
The class was led by Ing. Harold Esseku, a former Vice-President of the Ghana Institution of Engineering. He stated during the presentation that the Class decided to support their alma mater, and the donation is the contribution of the year group to the University’s 70th Anniversary celebrations. He indicated that the Class intends to support with innovations and the use of ICT in the training of engineers in the premier engineering institution in Ghana. He urged other alumni of the University to support the Fund as it is one of the means many universities are funded.
Ing. Akwasi Asamoah, a member of the group indicated that, it is important for different classes to come together to support the University. He appreciated the commitment of some dedicated members of their year group who contacted their classmates located all around the world to come together to make the donation a reality.
The KNUST College of Engineering Endowment Fund was established in June 2021 to provide stable and predictable funding for the College of Engineering to enable it become an internationally acknowledged Centre of Excellence in Engineering education; producing high caliber graduates with knowledge and expertise to support the industrial and socio-economic development of Ghana and Africa.
The specific objectives are to: improve quality of postgraduate programmes, expand access to postgraduate programmes, provide scholarships to attract brilliant postgraduate students and support needy undergraduate students and improve infrastructure to support teaching and learning.
Professor Mark Adom-Asamoah, Provost of the College of Engineering thanked the Civil Engineering Class of 1996 for their kind gesture and noted that they are the first group of classmates to donate to the Endowment Fund. According to the Provost, an amount of $50,000 has been received from an alumnus in the US to help train postgraduate students in Manufacturing, GH¢100,000 from the Associated Consultants Limited and GH¢50,000 donation from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). He again mentioned that GRIDCo has redeemed GH¢500,000 of the GH¢1Million pledged.
Professor Adom-Asamoah indicated that a Board of Trustees made up of industrial partners has been set up for the management of the Endowment Fund. He urged organisations, independent bodies, alumni and individuals to donate into the Fund.
Ing. Asare Yeboah, Chairman of the KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP) Advisory Board who doubles as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Endowment Fund gave the assurance that, monies donated to the fund will be used for its intended purpose. He intimated that he is awestruck by the generosity and encouraged other alumni to replicate what the Civil Engineering Class of 1996 year group has done.
Professor Charles Anum Adams, President of the Ghana Institution of Engineering, who is also the Head of Transport Research and Education Centre, Kumasi (TRECK) in the College of Engineering also called on alumni of KNUST and the College of Engineering to support the Endowment Fund.
To make a donation to the fund, please click here.