Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) in collaboration with its partners has organised the 7th International Conference on Applied Sciences and Technology (ICAST) 2023. The two-day event which was held at the main campus of KsTU and through virtual means and had as its theme “Research, Education and Emerging Trends for Technological and Sustainable Development”.
The annual Conference is aimed at bringing together researchers, experts and academics from educational institutions as well as various communities to exchange and share ideas and knowledge through discussions of a wide range of issues. It was held by breaking the participants into various parallel sessions for presentations and subsequent discussions virtually based on the chosen disciplines.
In his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor of Kumasi Technical University Ing. Prof. Nana Osei-Wusu Achaw whose institution organised the Conference gave a brief but thought-provoking address. He emphasised that equipping members of our society with the essential skills which have their base on Technical and Vocational training is actually the way to go.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, such a move will eventually give impetus to the county’s quest to break away from over reliance on government for employment after schooling. He also noted how the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that countries all over the world should strive for self-reliance. He finally emphasised that it is only Technical and Vocational education that will rapidly propel Ghana into real advancement and development.
Giving his opening address, the Chairman for the Local Organising Committee of ICAST 2023 Prof. Kofi Agyarko Ababio disclosed that the Planning Committee worked diligently to gather resources and ideas to ensure that the organisation of the Conference was successful. Prof. Ababio stated that the main objective of the event was to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas, insights, experiences, research findings and knowledge among academia, industry, policy makers and civil society institutions which was evident in the diverse backgrounds of participants who were gathered on the virtual platform. He said, it would further broaden the frontiers of knowledge and disciplines such as Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Applied Arts, Built and Environment, among others.
The Conference was attended by participants across at the main campus of the University and through a virtual platform with the keynote address given by Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, the Dean of the School of Engineering, University of Ghana.
