By Agbaxode Emmanuel, GNA
Akatsi (VR), Aug. 15 GNA – The Akatsi College of Education and the University of Energy and Sustainable Development (UESD) have initiated discussions towards a strategic institutional partnership.
The partnership aims at strengthening sustainability education, research, staff and student capacity development, and community-based environmental initiatives.
The partnership, which was discussed at a meeting on Thursday, would position Akatsico as a leading teacher-training institution with a distinctive focus on environmental sustainability and sustainable development.
Dr Felix Kwame Kumedzro, the Principal of Akatsico, said the engagement was intended to establish a framework for sustained institutional collaboration between the two institutions following a formal request from the College.
The proposed areas of collaboration included sustainability and environmental management, climate-change education, joint research and academic publications, grant proposal development, technical mentorship, waste management, tree planting, environmental restoration, and community-based experiential learning.
Prof Eric Nyarko-Sampson, Vice Chancellor of UESD, said the University was prepared to support the College’s sustainability agenda through technical expertise, mentorship and academic collaboration.
He said the UESD, which had grown from an enrolment of about 78 students in 2021 to more than 1,500 students, currently operated two schools, 10 departments and 33 accredited programmes, with sustainability integrated into its academic and institutional activities.
Prof Nyarko-Sampson said the partnership could provide an avenue for the two institutions to deepen research and develop practical solutions to environmental challenges confronting communities.
A major component of the proposed partnership is the establishment of an Eco Club at Akatsi College of Education and the development of a comprehensive institutional sustainability policy.
The College also intends to strengthen waste segregation, recycling and compost production, undertake tree planting and campus greening, and equip students and staff with knowledge and practical skills in environmental management.
The meeting further identified research opportunities in areas including wetland and mangrove restoration, coastal erosion, climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, sustainable cities and environmental communication, particularly within environmentally sensitive areas around the Volta Delta and Keta Lagoon system.
The institutions also discussed the possibility of transforming activities already undertaken by students and staff, including Supported Teaching in School (STS), agricultural activities, environmental initiatives and community-based projects, into research datasets capable of generating academic publications.
Under the proposed collaboration, UESD would provide support in research design, data collection and analysis, manuscript development, journal publication and the development of an institutional journal.
The partnership is also expected to strengthen the College’s capacity to compete for external funding through training in grant writing, identification of funding opportunities, research concept development and preparation of multidisciplinary proposals.
Prof Edward Wiafe Debrah, Pro Vice Chancellor of UESD, stressed that collaboration should not necessarily wait for the completion of the formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), indicating that mutually beneficial activities could begin while the agreement went through the necessary institutional approval processes.
The proposed MOU is expected to be shared with the College for review, after which both institutions will identify areas requiring amendment before the document proceeds through the appropriate approval of channels for final signing.
One of the immediate areas being considered is a joint compost-production training programme at the College, drawing on UESD’s experience with the Nkabom programme, sponsored by the Mastercard Foundation, which focuses on agro-waste processing and compost production.
The institutions also expressed interest in climate-change education and tree planting, with UESD offering technical assistance in identifying appropriate tree species for campus greening, carbon sequestration, climate-change mitigation and environmental restoration.
The collaboration is expected to extend beyond institutional activities to community development, with students potentially serving as sustainability ambassadors and participating in field-based environmental projects within their communities.
The meeting agreed that the partnership would pursue opportunities for PhD research collaboration, joint publications, grant applications, staff and student training, institutional exchange visits and community sustainability projects.
The success of the partnership would be measured through indicators including the signing of the MOU, establishment of an operational Eco Club, adoption of a sustainability policy, staff and student training, joint research projects and publications, grant proposals developed, external funding secured, trees planted and community sustainability projects implemented.
The meeting was attended by senior academic and institutional officials from both institutions, including Dr Mark Mishiwo, the Vice Principal of Akatsico; Madam Linda Bedzra, Head of the Environmental and Social Science Unit, Mr Francis Attoesi, the Head of the Agricultural Unit, and Professor Shine Francis Gbedema, the Dean of the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at UESD.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to move beyond discussions towards practical initiatives that would strengthen sustainability-oriented teacher education, generate research and academic outputs, attract external funding and contribute to measurable environmental and community impact.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Agbaxode Emmanuel
[email protected]