The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi is being envisioned to spearhead crucial national efforts in climate impact assessment and greenhouse gas inventory for all sectors of the economy.

This urgent call came from Akyamfour Asafo Boakye Agyemang-Bonsu, Chairman of the KNUST Governing Council, during a recent working visit to the College of Science board.

Akyamfour Agyemang-Bonsu emphasized the College's vital role as the scientific brain behind national policy, stressing the need to quantify industrial emissions and verify data from various sectors.

"We must be able to quantify emissions from industry; we should be able to verify the data they're putting out there," he stated.

He urged the College to assert its leadership not just in Ghana, but across Africa, pushing for a future where KNUST is a hub of knowledge production rather than consumption.

The Council Chair further highlighted KNUST's potential as a leader in emerging scientific fields.

"We want to be the hub of Green hydrogen. Namibia is already into it, but KNUST must be the hub," Akyamfour Agyemang-Bonsu said, asserting, "As science and Technology, I don't think there's a competitor here."

He further pushed the College to make one programming language compulsory for all students.

"We need to be part of the world. We should not be consumers but producers of knowledge. As a country, everything we do, we need to be able to code," he said.

During the visit, Professor Leonard Amekudzi, Provost of the College of Science, provided an overview of current achievements and future ambitions.

He highlighted increased grant acquisition and research collaborations with international partners, alongside the College's upgraded facilities for state-of-the-art advanced research.

Professor Amekudzi also spoke of plans to establish a Centre of Excellence for Climate and Environment, develop demand-driven postgraduate courses, foster international exchange programmes, and build interdisciplinary research capacity.

He also informed the Council Chair that devices have been installed to provide air quality index data for the Ashanti Region.

College Board members also shared insights into ongoing initiatives, including advanced plans to set up a robotics lab.

Discussions during the visit also touched upon the need for enhanced support. Board members emphasized the importance of investing in postgraduate education and called for the establishment of a national science research fund to support key national issues and research initiatives.

They also urged the College to collaborate with the Herbal Medicine Department to conduct more research into natural herbal products.

The Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, also urged the College to contribute actively towards its endowment fund, acknowledging, "The will to do the work is there; it's the resources we must work on."