The Kwadaso College of Agriculture is to be upgraded into an Agricultural University, with collaborative support from the prestigious Mendel University of the Czech Republic.
Once established, the transformed agricultural university and other colleges would serve as incubators for the development of more agricultural professionals in the country.
The Agriculture college, which was established in 1922 to help maintain the enviable position of the then Gold Coast as the world’s leading producer of cocoa, has, since, evolved into a centre of excellence, with increased capacity for training.
Speaking at the centenary celebration of the College, in Kwadaso, in the Ashanti Region last Friday, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said the institution over the years had trained some 100,000 young agricultural assistants.
These graduates, he said, had over the years been absorbed by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Local Government Service, Ghana Cocoa Board, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, as well as the private sector.
President Akufo-Addo said the college had produced a significant number of graduates, who had taken leadership positions in industry, academia, civil society and entrepreneurship, which, he said, was a testament to its strength.
One hundred years after the establishment of the College, the President said the time had come to reposition the institution to harness its full potential.
“…and that is why the decision has been taken to upgrade Kwadaso Agricultural College into an Agricultural University, with collaborative support from the prestigious Mendel University of the Czech Republic. “
He said the Agriculture University would mainly focus on the academic and professional development of the country’s agricultural human resources. “If successful, the plan will include establishing satellite campuses in Ejura and Wenchi Agricultural Colleges.”
The President stressed the need for the institution to scale up consciously the number of middle-level professionals who would provide hands-on support in the sector.
President Akufo-Addo acknowledged that some graduates of the Kwadaso College of Agriculture had begun benefiting from training in the government’s greenhouse internship programme in Ghana and Israel.
“The trainees at such centres are prepared for entrepreneurship by being equipped with academic knowledge and practical skills in greenhouse technology,” the President stated.
President Akufo-Addo pledged the continuous support of the government to upgrade the College into a University, and directed the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to step-up efforts and strengthen the partnership and collaboration with Mendel University to realise this vision.
“The collaboration between the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Mendel University exemplifies the wisdom of collaborating to make our institutions very valuable to our developmental efforts.
“I am confident that this celebration will ignite that spirit of togetherness and make this a reality,” he added.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah – ISD
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