The Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has praised government for reaffirming its commitment to complete the KNUST Teaching Hospital and releasing GH¢46 million and US$38 million through GETFund for equipping the facility.
Otumfuo also commended the Vice President for her involvement in securing renewed government attention for the Teaching Hospital project. He expressed confidence that government would honour the commitment and encouraged Prof. Opoku-Agyemang to write her name in the institution’s history.
“I implore you to take this moment to immortalize your name as the game changer who brought this noble vision to its glorious completion, a legacy that generations to come will honour you for,” he said.
Speaking at the climax of the 59th Congregation of KNUST, the Chancellor appealed to the government to grant immediate financial clearance for the recruitment of additional academic and administrative staff to support teaching and learning at the university. He warned that the current lecturer-student ratio remains unfavourable and unsustainable.
“This situation places a heavy strain on our dedicated lecturers and threatens the quality of teaching and learning we provide,” he said.
He therefore urged the Guest of Honour, Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, to prioritise and fast-track the financial clearance to address the staffing gap.
The Chancellor issued a strong warning to individuals encroaching on KNUST lands, noting that the university would not tolerate any attempt to appropriate its property.
“I have received reports indicating that some recalcitrant people continue to test our resolve. Let me therefore say again, with absolute clarity and without equivocation, that any encroachment upon these lands will not be tolerated,” he cautioned.
According to him, the university’s lands are not ordinary property but “sacred legacies handed down by our forefathers, set aside for the education of future generations,” adding that attempts to seize or misuse them would be met with decisive action.
Addressing the graduating class, Otumfuo encouraged them to step into the world with innovation, integrity and compassion.
“As you step into the wider world, let innovation guide your ideas, integrity anchor your actions, and compassion shape your leadership. The true measure of education lies not in personal gain alone, but in the light you bring into the lives of others,” he said.
The final day of the 59th Congregation saw the conferring of 221 PhD degrees: 66 females and 155 males, as well as, honorary doctorates on distinguished personalities and selected corporate bodies.
