The Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU) in the Upper East Region has held an investiture for Prof. Samuel Erasmus Alnaa as the first Vice-Chancellor of the University.
The event, which was highly patronised, attracted the University’s internal and external publics, including the Regional Minister, dignitaries from other sister technical universities across the country, the judiciary, chiefs, Junior and Senior Members of the University.
Prof. Alnaa joined Bolgatanga Technical University, then Bolgatanga Polytechnic, in 2007 as a lecturer and rose through the dint of hard work to Associate Professor in Economics in 2016.
He has also held notable positions: Acting Dean of Students from May to September 2014, Vice Rector of Bolgatanga Polytechnic from 2013 to 2018, and Acting Rector from 2017 to 2018. He was the Rector from 2018 to 2020; leading the institution to its current status as a Technical University in April 2020.
Prof. Alnaa, who holds Doctorof Philosophy in Economics from the University of Cape Coast, and Master of Science in Economics from the University of Skovde, Sweden,was assuming the position of the University’s first Vice-Chancellor with a very good track record, and was well experienced in the field of academics and university administration.
As an astute academic, Prof. Alnaa has taught at the BTU when it was on Polytechnic status for several years, and published extensively highly influential and reputable academic journals. He has taught Economics and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate students with diverse backgrounds. His contributions towards the training of postgraduate students have been recognised nationally and academically. He has also mentored many lecturers and has served as an external examiner to other universities in Ghana.
The Chairman of the Governing Council of the University, Prof. Francis Abantanga, who swore the new Vice Chancellor into office, stressed that it was not for nothing the council in collaboration with other institutions appointed Prof. Alnaa as the first Vice Chancellor of the University.
He mentioned that his achievements were wide; covering the entire spine of the University: from chairing committees to providing strategic leadership and management of University resources including staff, finances, equipment and vehicles, drafting curricula for both HND and Bachelor of Technology programmes and providing the necessary infrastructure needed for the successful conversion of Bolgatanga Polytechnic to a Technical University.
The new Vice Chancellor thanked the Governing Council and other bodies for reposing confidence in him and pledged to deliver on his mandate to accelerate the growth of the university.
“I come into the high office of the university with a strategic vision:” To position the university as world class Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution with innovative academic programmes and turning out graduates with 21st century skills,” he stressed.
Prof. Alnaa said his vision was driven by six main but interrelated strategic thrusts towards identifying the challenges for accelerated growth of BTU, and mentioned the promotion of technology enhanced knowledge and training, pursuing academic excellence, infrastructure development, ensure good governance and management, internationalisation and linkages, mobilisation of resources and fund raising
The Upper East Regional Minister,Yakubu Alhassan, entreated all the staff of the university to give the new Vice Chancellor the maximum support to develop the institution and also appealed to him to operate on open door policy.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, SUMBRUNGU
