The engineering department of the Kumasi Technical (KsTU) University has hinted of a possible skills and technology transfer deal with the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization (SMIDO).
University authorities disclose the move to journalists during a tour by executives of (SMIDO) to the university’s ultra-modern engineering lab.
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The informal mechanical engineering artisans were engaged on a familiarization tour to the auto mechanical engineering lab at Adako Jachie campus in the Ejisu Municipality.
Management of KsTU said a well-crafted partnership agreement between the two entities will bring many benefits to the automobile industry in the country.
The Vice Dean of Engineering at the engineering department of the Technical University said the tour was to enable SMIDO executives familiarize themselves with modern machines and equipment at the university’s engineering lab.
Ing. Dr. Prince Owusu Ansah acknowledged that artisans of Suame magazine are well endowed with good hands-on auto engineering skills.
He however, pointed out that the artisans lack the requisite equipment and technology-based knowledge that meet modern business setting.
Prince Owusu Ansah disclosed that the university and SMIDO will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) that explore industrial and academic prospects of mutual benefits with the artisans.
He said the proposed MOU will enable the university students tap into the rich practical expertise of the artisans.
Artisan in turn will improve their business prospects through the use of the university’s technology and standardized machines and equipments.
“The university will soon sign a mutually beneficial MOU with our magazine partners for skills and technology transfer. Our student will benefit from their rich hands-on training skills while SMIDO benefits from our institution’s lab facilities and technologies’’, Prince Owusu Ansah explained.
The Vice Dean also said modern machines at the lab can produce over 10, 000 pieces of basic mechanical parts in a short period.
He said the machines can produce basic auto-parts such as crank shafts, filters, bolts and nuts among many other mechanical equipment parts.
Ing. Dr. Prince Owusu Ansah stressed that the collaboration can help artisans reduce the amount of auto parts importation.
Public Relations Officer of the university, Ms Elizabeth Sekyi- Whyte commended executives of SIMDO for their cooperation and commitment to the proposed collaboration.
She appealed to executives of SMIDO to sensitize members on the business and academic collaboration under discussion.
Suame Magazine is the biggest informal sector mechanical engineering hub in Ghana.
Its members provide wide range of auto mechanical engineering services to both private and public institutions and organizations across Ghana and neighboring West Africa.
Even though most of these SMIDO artisans are not academically inclined, they are very skillful in hands-on auto-mechanical engineering works.
