MTN Foundation hands over Ghc750,000 ICT lab to GIMPA

MTN Ghana Foundation has formally commissioned and handed over to the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) a Ghc750,000 ultra-modern ICT laboratory.

This gesture by MTN Ghana Foundation is to help push the technology revolution emerging and to assist the School of Technology of GIMPA to meet the emerging trends.

The facility consists of two offices, a conference room, washrooms for males and females.

Mr Franklyn Manu, the Chairman of MTN Foundation Ghana, who unveiled the plaque of the facility expressed his excitement for the successful completion of the project and revealed that the project began during the tenure of the previous Dean of the School of Technology.

His excitement emanates from the fact that the current Dean continued the project to its end. “As you know, in Ghana, there is always a problem that when someone succeeds one person then projects get jettisoned but I must commend Dr Joe Adjei for his persistence in pushing us” to complete the project.

He explained that technology is very important especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in helping us to deliver projects and programs thus reducing physical contact.

“We are realizing that there are opportunities with technology. So I am very hopeful that this lab will help with the introduction of MSc in Telecom Engineering [which the school intends to introduce]”, he added.

He further revealed that the facility cost approximately Ghc750,000.

On behalf of the Institute, the Deputy Rector, Professor Martin Morgan Tuuli expressed his gratitude to MTN Ghana Foundation for supporting the School of Technology and called on other corporate organizations to emulate the gesture by MTN.

He underscored the essence of hands-on experience by students and maintained that “GIMPA is a unique institution in the sense that we ensure our students don’t just acquire academic skills but have practical knowledge. So this lab essentially provides us with that space where students can have hands-on experience”.

When modernghana News inquired about how the facility will be maintained considering the poor maintenance culture in Ghana, the Dean of School of Technology, Dr Joseph Adjei explained that GIMPA has introduced a technology fee which is paid by students that will be channelled into maintaining the facility.

“What GIMPA does is that there are several proposals that will be considered by GIMPA council, but one of the ideas is that we take some kind of technology fee.

Apart from that, we are running a business incubation here and any project that comes out of here as a commercial project, the school will benefit in terms of finances and they are all going to contribute towards the maintenance of the equipment”, he intimated.

On MTN’s part to the maintenance of the facility, Mr Franklyn Manu said MTN Foundation has a maintenance plan for all projects it funds.

He explained that beneficiaries of the MTN Ghana Foundation are usually tasked to set up a maintenance Committee that includes MTN Foundation staff to do a periodic review and ensure that things do not fall apart.

“So we will not be doing it ourselves but we will be part of the program of maintenance”, he added.