African political leaders urged to involve academia in their manifesto formulation

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has hosted the 2023 edition of International Conference on Infrastructure Development in Africa with a call on African leaders to involve the academia in their manifesto formulation.

A senior lecturer at the Department of Construction Technology and Management at KNUST Professor Emmanuel Adingrah who made the call said situations where politicians formulate policies without the input of academia are hampering the smooth development of the African continent.

He noted that Africa will get the desired development if those with political power were to formulate and implement the policies based on evidence-based research from the academia.

Speaking to this reporter at the sidelines of the event, Professor Emmanuel Adingrah said one of the ways to develop sustainable infrastructure in Africa was to bridge the gap between academia and political leaders.

About the conference
Dozens of Planners, Engineers, Researchers, Students, and other academia from other fields thronged the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Monday, November 20, 2023, for the 8th edition of the International Conference on Infrastructure Development in Africa.

The three-day meeting which commenced on November 19, 2023 was on the theme "Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Development in Africa’s Changing Climate."

The participants came from across the world to share ideas on how Africa as an emerging economy can develop sustainable and resilient infrastructure without causing problems to climate change.

The conference was organized with support from the University of Manchester, UK and the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.