Dr. Joyce Aryee Bemoans low level of Economic Development in Minning Communities

The 2019 Mechanical and Electrical Technical Division Conference of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) has taken place in Accra with a call on young engineers to look for societies with challenges and propose effective solutions to them.

The two day conference that brought together engineers, students, policy makers, students amongst others was under the theme ; The Transfer of knowledge and Skills, the Role of the Extractive Industry.

In her keynote address, the Executive Director of Salt and Light Ministries, Rev. Dr. Joyce R. Aryee bemoaned the low level of economic development of communities that Ghana's natural resources are mined from.

Dr. Joyce Aryee was worried that the country's extractive industries is over a century but the economic benefits continues to elude the citizens especially areas where these resources are gotten from.

Communities in which these resources are mined from, stand in sharp contradiction to the value of mineral resources extracted therefrom. She cited popular mining towns such as Obuasi, Tarkwa, Prestea etc as glaring examples.

According to her societies that have been blessed with natural resources but without knowledge to harness these resources do not reap the benefits of these natural resources.

She added that the wealth of nations has grown and continues to do so, based on knowledge and skill, so, Nations that fail to address the knowledge and skills deficit are doomed to poverty, misery and strife and this she noted is the story of Africa.

She therefore called on Engineers to appreciate the task of leadership which they inherit as a result of their profession and lead the way because, according to her, great economies are built on science and engineering and great battles can also be won or lost on the basis of science and engineering.

The former Executive Director for the Ghana Chamber of Mines was hopeful the conference will not end up as a flowery talking shop oiled by mechanical engineers and powered by electrical engineers.

The chairman of the ocasion, Prof. William Kwame Buah, Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies, University of Mines and Technology (UmaT), Tarkwa, on his part expressed the need for young engineers to look for where societal problems are and propose solutions to better their lives.

He tasked participants of the conference to come out with proposals that would bridge that gap between what exists as knowledge and practical solutions to problems .

Present at the conference included the President of GhIE, Ing. Alexander Leslie Ayeh, Past Presidents of GhIE, the Executive Director of GhIE, Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Chairman of the Mechanical Technical Division, Chairman of the Electrical Technical Division, representatives of sponsors (Tropical Cable and Conductor Ltd and Appah Electricals), members of the GhIE and the general public.