The Switzerland Government has spent about $2 million to set up the Wood and Furniture Testing Centre at the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-FORIG).
Technical Manager of the Centre, Mr Francis Wilson, who disclosed that, said the money was used to furnish the Centre with modern machines to test chairs and tables for their durability, stability and strength to determine the life span of the products and their ability to perform the functions for which they were designed.
He said there would be capacity building of experts to man the Centre to ensure proper utilisation of the machines.
According to the manager the “Centre has now been accredited for conducting tests under ISO 17025.”
He mentioned these during the visit of the Switzerland Ambassador to Ghana, Simone Giger, to inspect the Centre at the weekend.
Mr Wilson told the Ambassador and her team that the machines have come at the right time since tests conducted ensure that health and safety, durability and strength requirements were met before being sold to customers.
“School children will be the best beneficiaries as they will now use chairs and tables that have been tested to improve their health…because sitting on some ranges of chairs, etc, can heighten the likelihood of muscular discomfort, aches and stiffness,” he added.
He indicated that wood products were tested to certify those qualified to be in the market, and the Center would build the capacity of industry in the production of improved quality products.
Earlier, the Director of the CSIR-FORIG, Prof. Daniel A. Ofori, briefed the Ambassador of the Institute’s mandate and core values, among others.
He stressed that forest and forest products research were undertaken to ensure sustainable management and utilisation of Ghana’s forest resources and to engage in the commercialisation of research results and services.
Prof. Ofori mentioned that the Institute was very focused on Bamboo species to address climate change and also be used to reclaim degraded mined sites as a result of illegal mining activities as well as the production of furniture.
On food security, the Director said, the Institute had developed models for integrating indigenous forest trees to boost agricultural productivity in the country.
However, he underlined that lack of funding was crippling their research work and hoped there would be more support.
The Ambassador was very much impressed about the Wood and Furniture Testing Center saying,”I am really enthused and impressed that there is such a center in Ghana to ensure value addition of wood products in the country”.
She assured Switzerland would not relent in her support to Ghana to enable her brave the odds for the betterment of all and sundry in the country.
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE,KUMASI
