USAID/USDA Extols KNUST For Openness

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have lauded the leadership of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) for their excellent technical advice for activities and noteworthy financial management in using funds for projects.

USAID, since 2014, has fueled their partnership project – USAID/USDA West Africa Analytical Support Services and Evaluations for Sustainable Systems (ASSESS) project – with the KNUST with US$15 million.

Through this project, the Principal Investigator for the Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD) at the KNUST, Prof Paul Sarfo Mensah said, enormous benefits have been realized.

“The Faculty of Pharmacy Doctorate Degree program has benefited from the partnership. Some of our students got the opportunity to further their education in America. As we speak, some students are there reading about Plant Transformation and Genetics, courtesy of this project. A laboratory will be established later at the University.”

The Manager of the USDA, Mr Harold Tarver in his submissions before the Chancellor of KNUST, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, said it has reached three separate agreements with KNUST to implement activities for the past nine years to the tune of about $15 million.

He said about a million and a half of that fund went to KNUST to support the activities.

He emphasized that none of the University partners of the USDA has been granted such an amount of funds and attributed the trust to the level of transparency and openness with which the leadership of the KNUST operates.

“People from our grants office mention that there is no university that receives that much money from USDA to implement activities. It’s a great honour for us to have great partners that create the openness to work with KNUST. Thank Your Majesty for the Leadership.”

He stated, “without these great partners we wouldn’t have accomplished the things that we have accomplished through the US government”.

He said this when a joint delegation from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the University of Rhodes Island (URI) called on Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on February 10, 2023, at the Manhyia Palace.

Among the delegation included Harold Tarver, Agricultural Development Advisor for USDA; Karen Kent, Principal Investigator of the University of Rhode Island (USA); Prof. Paul Sarfo Mensah, the Principal Investigator for the Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD, KNUST); Dr. Ebenezer Owusu-Addo, the Co-Principal Investigator of the project and Director of BIRD (KNUST); Charles Nornoo, Chief of Party for USAID West Africa ASSESS Project (KNUST); and Mary Klimasewiski, Coordinator for University of Rhode Island.

On his part, His Majesty said such collaborations are what the country needs to empower citizens.

“These are some of the collaborations and programmes that we need; Developing our human resource base and also enhancing our agricultural growth. It is the base for the development of the country.”

He further called on Mr Tarver to renew the agreements when their timelines expire.

Source: opemsuo.com