The Country Director of ActionAid, Ghana, Mr. Sumaila Abdul Rahman says he is impressed with the curriculum of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, (UESD), because of the special attention it gives to the environment which has some connections with the Sustainable Development Goals, 1, 3, 5, 6 and 13.(Goal 1 seeks to end poverty, Goal 3 aims at providing good health and wellbeing, Goal 5 touches on gender equality, Goal 6 on clean water and Sanitation and Goal 13 focuses on Climate Change and mechanisms to employ to tackle it).
Mr. Rahman was speaking during a meeting with a four-member team from the School of Sustainable Development of the UESD, on June 26, 2021. The team was at the offices of the NGO as part of its outreach to partner with industry and institutions that share similar vision with the University in the area of the environment, energy and agro-business.
Mr. Rahman described as timely, the delegation’s visit to his organisation. This is because his organisation is introducing a new policy that dwells on environmental sustainability in relation to its impact on socio-economic activities of people living in sub-Saharan Africa. This, he said will require a strong partnership with academia for data to support the project.
Mr. Rahman then nominated two persons from ActionAid; the Head of Programmes, Campaign and Innovation, Mr. John Nkaw, and Head of Human Resource, Mrs. Cindy Letcher to serve as ActionAid’s contact persons for the University. He charged the team to work around the clock to ensure that within the shortest possible time, all relations built between the two institutions are formalized for a fruitful take off.
The leader of the UESD delegation, Dr. Michael Tuffour, suggested the two institutions run joint research and marketable programmes to fortify the newly established relationship.He also proposed students internship at ActionAid, data sharing and curriculum review and swapping of expertise from industry to academia and vice versa as a way of fortifying the bond.
In a related development, a team from the UESD also visited the offices of the Millennium Development Authority, MiDA on the 28th of June, 2021 to meet with Management. It was made up of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Eric Nyarko-Sampson, Head of the delegation, including the Registrar, Mrs. Mary Agyepong. The team was received by the Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Mr. Martin Esson-Benjamin and the Director of Environment and Social Performance at MiDA, Mr. Benjamin Opoku.
Prof. Nyarko-Sampson explained, the visit was to among other things seek partnership with the authority in areas of mutual benefit and to make some requests. He also briefed their hosts about the UESD, the programmes being run and its activities. Prof. Nyarko-Sampson also hinted them of the third School, the School of Built Environment which will be added soon.
In response, the CEO of MiDA, Mr. Esson-Benjamin welcomed the idea of a collaboration between his office and the UESD, but said currently, MiDA has exhausted its funds under Compact Six,(6) and it will not be in a position to make a commitment towards any project for now. He assured them of the inclusion of the University in its subsequent projects, urging them to be timeous in future in sending bids for projects as soon as MiDA makes the call. Other members of the UESD delegation were, Dr. Isaac Abbam, Head of Physical Development and Estate Management of UESD, the Deans of the School of Sustainable Development, Prof. Anthony Amoah and Prof. Edward Wiafe-Debrah, Dean of School of Natural and Environmental Sciences.