DAILY GRAPHIC, Friday, February 10, 2012, Pg.48. UMaT appeals for support

Story: Mary Ankrah

THE University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, has called on the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) to extend support to the school’s 60th anniversary.

A number of activities have been lined up for the diamond Jubilee,which is slated to take place from February 16 to October 10 this year.

According to the Vice Chancellor of the school, Prof. Daniel Mireku-Gyimah, the anniversary celebration would address the successes and the challenges of the school.

The institution was started in 1952 as the Tarkwa Technical Institute and became the Tarkwa School of Mines in 1961 to train the required manpower for the mining and allied industries in Ghana.

It was later in 1976 affiliated to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, as a faculty of the university. In 2001, it became the Western University College of KNUST and now a full university.

It was re-named UMaT in November 2004 and given a new mandate to provide higher education in mining, technology and related sciences and to act as a catalyst for the development of mining and technology.

The UMaT is known for its mining related programmes including electrical/electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, mathematics, computer science and engineering.

Giving some of its achievement, Prof. Mireku-Gyimah, said the school through its mining programmes had contributed significantly to the economic growth of the country, adding that 70 per cent of the management in the mining industry were students of UMaT.

He observed that the school had contributed massively to tertiary education in the sub-regions including South Africa and Australia.

The Managing Director of the GCGL, Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, commended the school for the quality resources it had produced over the years and encouraged the authorities of the school to aim higher.

Mr Ashigbey said while it was the company’s mandate to inform the public, it would also support the publicity of the school to attract foreign assistance.

He stated that Ghana would achieve high economic growth if the human resource was developed.

Mr Ashigbey pledged the continual support of GCGL to create an avenue for students to undergo their attachment with the company to acquaint themselves with practical teachings.

He also applauded the school for taking the role of going into petroleum engineering and said it was good for Ghana to take charge of the oil company than to leave it in the hands of foreigners.