Takoradi Technical University (TTU) in an effort to bring tangibility to what students are taught and also encourage them to create real solutions to everyday societal problems has launched a maiden Technology and Innovation Fair.

The Technology and Innovation Fair is scheduled to start from the 13th through the 16th of December 2022.

Speaking at the launch of the TTU Technology and Innovation Fair which is on the theme; “Think Smart, Be Innovative and Create Wealth”, the Vice Chancellor of TTU, Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun, said that in addition to the fair being a platform for students to innovate, it will also nurture entrepreneurs.

“It is envisaged that the fair will provide a platform for students and staff of the University to showcase the brilliant, innovative ideas they had developed to make the world a better place and a more sustainable one. It would also ensure that the ideas the students have acquired through their studies are transformed into feasible projects. This will further unearth the entrepreneurial potential of the students, thereby impacting positively on society. Besides this, the fair will among other things ensure that students are challenged to think smart with their innovative ideas and create wealth for mankind“, he said.

Rev. Prof. Eshun said outstanding participants at the fair are likely to receive support to upscale their projects.

“We are hoping that at the end of this fair, the university will be able to select at least ten (10) good innovations and scale them up into business incubation hubs for commercial ventures which will eventually lead to wealth creation”, he added.

Giving a gist of what to expect during the fair, the Pro Vice Chancellor of TTU, Prof. Victor Kweku Bonzie Micah, said the fair will attract the participation of all faculties of the university.

“From the Engineering Faculty, they will be showcasing a remote-operated vehicle for fire detection, fire leakages and gas pipeline breaks. Also, we will be seeing firefighting from these remote censors that they will be creating for us, as well as coconut husk crushers. The Faculty of Built and Natural Environment will be showcasing wood products that they have used laser in cutting or using laser to actualize whatever was thought of as a design, and a lot of aluminium works.”

“Faculty of Applied Sciences will be having the transitional probabilities as a tool for assessing sustainable plastic waste management, and the food science area will showcase as well as other recipes that have been developed”, he highlighted.

The Pro VC also added that other faculties and departments including the Business Studies, Applied Arts, Fashion, Sculpture, Graphics Design will all exhibit at the fair.

Representing the Chairman of the TTU Governing Council, Ato Panford, himself a Council Member, described the Technology and Innovation fair as novelty and said it would be a better bridge between academia and industry.

“We’ve been thinking about the gap between industry and academia and the technology and innovation that must come from there so that the private sector and industry players will be able to buy into such innovations to make sure that we practicalize them in real-life aspects. It’s very important, especially for our friends from the industry, to be able to pass through this fair period to look at the kind of technology and innovation that the university has. We will be able to look at where we want to invest them, pick them, push them a bit forward and then make sure that we practicalise them. Let’s invite our friends to this fair to come and see the kind of technology and innovation that we have to offer for the industry and the business community”, he noted.

Dr. Moses Maclean Abnory, the Registrar of TTU on his part said the institution of the Technology and Innovation Fair cemented TTU’s status as the premier technical university.

“This university is supposed to train Ghanaians, develop them not only mentally, but train them to have a heart for themselves and for the nation and use their hand appropriately. It is for this reason that we are fulfilling one of our mandates by launching a week-long programme to adore what our respected lecturers and researchers and our students through research and hard work have discovered…Takoradi Technical University is far ahead, and others are chasing the dust that is behind us in terms of technology, innovation, and trying to discover knowledge to move this country forward”, he said.

Major relevant stakeholders in the field of Technology and Innovation are expected to grace the TTU Technological and Innovation Far.