The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is to spend 5.6 million euros of its internally generated funds to retool the university’s engineering laboratories.

Space is currently being created at the various old laboratories and workshops for the new equipment to be fixed. The move forms part of the university’s plans to replace outmoded equipment

The laboratories to benefit from the retooling include the Process Development lab, the unit Operations laboratory, the Biotechnology lab and the Instrumental laboratory.

This year the College of Engineering completed the refurbishment and equipping of its petrochemical engineering laboratories under an oil and gas capacity building project.

It also commissioned four renovated thematic laboratories with equipment worth about 2.5million dollars.

At the college’s congregation in Kumasi, the Provost of the College of Engineering, Professor S.I.K Ampadu, noted the modernisation of the labs puts the College on course of its strategic plan.

He said the plan seeks to make KNUST the centre of excellence in oil and gas engineering education and research in the sub-region.

The college has an undergraduate student enrolment of 4,627 pursuing one of 15 undergraduate programmes covering a wide range of disciplines of engineering.

A total of 1,041 fresh student engineers from 15 different programmes were  graduated this year, which is 88 more than last year.

Of this figure, 92 students had first class, 489 had second class upper while 433 had second class lower with only 27 students who graduated with a pass.

The overall best student from the College was Richard Corquaye.

The event also saw the college of engineering giving awards to individuals and institutions as well as alumni who have contributed towards the development of the college.

Benjamin Aidoo|3news.com|Ghana