The Bono Regional Minister, Hon. Justina Owusu Banahene on Monday, April 12, 2022, paid an official visit to the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Sunyani. She and her entourage were well received by Management Members of the University at the Council Chamber.
In her remarks, the Regional Minister noted that though she has been to the University on some occasions there was a need to pay a visit to interact with Management and discuss the way forward working together to achieve a common goal of developing the region and the nation at large.
She commended the University for its immense contribution to the development of the Region and beyond. She said the University has been producing men and women in the region, who provide technical assistance to the Bono Regional Coordinating Council (BRCC) on relevant issues of the region’s growth. The Regional Minister also lauded the University’s commitment to the ‘Green Ghana’ agenda, especially in the region. She further called for a stronger collaboration between BRCC, UENR and other public institutions in the region for collective development. With this, she recommended that the University and the Regional Coordinating Council should jointly develop training programmes geared towards equipping the knowledge of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the country and collaborate with Sunyani Technical University to hold quiz competitions for their students who can further represent the region for national events.
Touching on the infrastructural projects on campus, the Regional Minister gave the assurance that she would work closely with the Vice-Chancellor and visit the appropriate Ministries involved to ensure swift completion of stalled buildings of the University.
The Vice-Chancellor in his statements thanked the Regional Minister for her continuous support of the University. He indicated that despite the challenges facing the University, various achievements have been made ranging from training quality graduates for industrial needs to funding projects through Internally Generated Funds (IGF) and providing Faculty skills in the area of energy, engineering, sciences, natural resources, and agriculture among others for national development.
In his response, the Council Chairman, Prof. Kwasi Nsiah-Gyabaah expressed that the Minister’s visit was a historic one adding that the issues discussed are vital to reaching the vision of the University and the region at large.
The Minister further inspected the tree she planted when the University hosted the Green Ghana Agenda last year June 2021 and the 3,000-capacity auditorium ongoing on the University Campus. She also visited the University Basic School, where she interacted with the staff and pupils.
