Sunyani, Dec. 18, GNA – The University of Energy and Natural Resources in November this year secured 7 million Euros funding from the European Commission to implement a project on water-energy-food nexus action.
The project, dubbed “REFFECT Africa” which is a partnership with 28 other Universities and Municipalities from seven countries across Africa and Europe would demonstrate innovative sustainable energy solutions based on the valorization of agricultural and agro-processing residues through biomass gasification.
Its implementation would include the design, construction, and installation of three gasification plants as demonstrators in Ghana, Morocco, and South Africa.
Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, the Vice-Chancellor announced when he was addressing the sixth congregation of the University on Saturday in Sunyani.
In a related development, he said “the University is collaborating with TABCON Energy, a development consulting company operating in the area of renewable energy in Ghana to provide a 10-Megawatts Hybrid Power that would contribute to the national grid, create employment and attract foreign market through value-added agriculture”.
The VC added UENR through the Regional Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (RCEES) and Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany had joined Solar Taxi in a project to outdoor e-motor bikes.
Prof Asare-Bediako said the E-micro mobility in Ghana Project was a German government-funded project which aimed at reducing climate change and carbon emissions into the environment with a more sustainable energy-friendly mode of transport.
He further said UENR together with 11 other institutions had been awarded a project under the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) titled “Partnerships for Enhanced and Blended Learning (PEBL)-West Africa”.
Prof. Asare-Bediako said the project was being funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, adding that the PEBL would collaborate with 12 Universities in Ghana and Nigeria and was focused on strengthening their capacities to design and implement blended learning.
The VC explained that the project in a broader objective sought to support the development and sharing of quality assured, credit-bearing blended courses and would aim to improve the performance of Universities in the West African Sub-region by driving forward innovations in teaching and learning.
Prof. Asare-Bediako said the institution was though saddled with challenges, it had however out of its internally-generated funds (IGFs) funded some projects.
They comprised two pavilions with 200-seating capacity as lecture rooms, renovation and conversion of old staff bungalows to serve as offices for staff, upgrading of the old auditorium block to be fit for purpose, and acquisition of a standby 100 KW generator to serve as a back power unit, he indicated.
Touching on the graduation statistics later, the VC said 1,753 students including 119 postgraduates had been awarded degrees after completing their respective programmes of study.
The number comprised 1,247 males, representing 71 per cent and 506 females, signifying 29 per cent, Prof. Asare-Bediako stated.
He said 456 of them were from the School of Sciences, 405 from the School of Engineering, 342 completed School of Natural Resources, 240 belonged to the School of Arts and Social Sciences, 149 from the School of Agriculture and Technology, and 42 from the School of Geosciences.
GNA