The Department of Food Science and Technology at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, has celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a series of celebratory events from 17th to 19th, July 2024. The ceremony commemorated two decades of impactful food research and quality education, drawing alumni, students, stakeholders, and industry partners to reflect on past achievements and chart the future course.
In her welcome address, Professor (Mrs.) Faustina Dufie Wireko-Manu, the Head of the Department of Food Science and Technology, marked the Anniversary as a time for both reflection and celebration of the Department's achievements since its inception. She highlighted the Department's pioneering role in food-related scientific and educational research within the University and across Ghana. Starting with only 29 students, Professor (Mrs.) Wireko-Manu disclosed that the Department now proudly boasts of over 600 students. She emphasised the impressive accomplishments of the Department, noting that it has produced forty (40) PhDs, four hundred (400) master's, and nearly one thousand (1,000) undergraduate students who are excelling in the food industry, research institutions, and non-governmental organisation. She added that the Department plans to introduce more postgraduate courses and expand its scholarship programmes and expressed her gratitude to alumni, industry partners, and stakeholders for their support in helping the Department reach this feat.
Delivering his keynote address, Dr. Frank Asante, Managing Director of the Cocoa Processing Company, and an alumnus of the Department, emphasised the significance of the Anniversary. He expressed gratitude to his Professors, attributing his success to their mentorship during his time at KNUST. Dr. Asante underscored the importance of the Department of Food Science and Technology in advancing research critical to the food industry, highlighting projects in artificial intelligence, food fraud detection, and street food safety.
Dr. Asante also recounted his journey from being a student to becoming the Managing Director, crediting the Department for its role in his career development. He noted that the Department has contributed significantly to various developmental projects and produced graduates working in research institutions, non-governmental organisation, regulatory bodies, and private and public enterprises worldwide.
The Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson congratulated the Department for its 20 years of academic excellence. She stressed the importance of food as a fundamental commodity in daily life and advocated for the consumption of nutrient-rich foods which are made in Ghana. She emphasised KNUST's openness to academia-industry partnerships for mutual collaboration in the food sector, as well as the need for continuous engagement to improve the quality of life for the community. The Vice-Chancellor urged everyone to be mindful of their dietary choices to prevent and reduce non-communicable diseases. “It is our responsibility to ensure that we eat food as medicine, not our medicine as food. Let us utilise our indigenous foods because they are very healthy,” she advocated. The event made room for solidarity messages from notable alumni and food industry representatives, including Professor John Owusu, Vice-Chancellor of Koforidua Technical University; Professor Osei Akoto, Dean of Physical and Computational Sciences; Professor Antonio Tetteh, Founding Lecturer, Department of Food Science and Technology; Mr. Anthony Agyapong, Registrar, College of Science; and Dr. Frank Asante on behalf of Hon. Kwadwo Ofori Safo. Professor Jacob Kwaku Agbenorhevi represented the Ghana Association of Food Science and Technology.
The two-day event featured exhibitions from food processing companies, poster sessions, and an educational outreach to selected senior high schools.
