The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has urged students of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) to work hard to change the course of the history of their families, immediate environment and Ghana at large. He advised the students not to let their family background hinder their potentials rather, they should strive to make their families and the country proud through their accomplishments.
The Minister was addressing the team of staff and students who paid a courtesy call on him on Wednesday, August 18, 2022, at his office in Accra. The team led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Elvis Asare-Bediako met the Minister to introduce to him, Miss Zoe Lois Poku, a level 400 Mechanical Engineering student of the University who won the world’s best public speaker at this year’s edition of World Universities Debate Championship; and the national champions of the Petrobowl competition who would be representing Ghana in the world championship in Houston, Texas from October 2 to 3, 2022.
Speaking further, the Education Minister congratulated the students and expressed believe that the younger generation in Ghana is capable of breaking the world’s limit because Africans have a lot of great potentials. He charged the team to go for more laurels without intimidation and assured them of his continuous support.
Prior to this, the team paid a courtesy call on the Bono Regional Minister, Hon. Justina Owusu Banahene at her office to announce the winners of the two competitions.
In her response to the briefing, the Regional Minister commended the award winners for topping the contest. She also lauded UENR for raising giants for the future generation. She was hopeful that the achievements of the University would be advantageous in promoting the Bono Region and further attract the region’s share of the “national cake” for development. She reaffirmed her continuous support for the University and used the opportunity to call on Lecturers and Teaching Assistants to help students discover their talents and skills, which would amount to holistic training.
In support of STEM and Girl education, the Regional Minister hinted at her intention to award Miss Zoe Lois Opoku, the only female engineering student among the award winners. According to the Minister, Miss Lois Poku has demonstrated that it is worth getting involved in extracurricular activities, which play a key in shaping one’s academic life. She requested to work with Zoe to serve as a motivation for female students and debunk the mindset that science students are not versatile.
The Vice-Chancellor in his statements noted that UENR prides itself on the awards because, after just a decade of existence, UENR is realizing many achievements in their midst of challenges. He was certain that the University would soon become the most preferred tertiary institution in the Bono region and beyond.
The team including the Patron of the UENR Forensic, Mr. Cosmas Rai Amenorvi and the Head of the Department of Petroleum Engineering, Dr. Yaw Akyampon Boakye-Ansah while in the national capital also embarked on media and other stakeholder engagement to further introduce the winners. Some of the institutions visited were Kantanka TV, Daily Graphic newspaper and Despite Media.
