UMaT engages Atlantic Lithium to conduct feasibility studies on value chain
The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, in the Western Region has engaged Atlantic Lithium to conduct feasibility studies on the lithium-value chain in the country.
The studies is to assess the viability of how the by-product, feldspar, can be applied in other industries, especially the ceramics industry.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Richard Kwasi Amankwah who announced this at the 15th ccongregation of the university at Tarkwa over the weekend, stated that by this latest development, the university was taking a major steps to maintain its position among forward looking universities by deepening research and advancing interactions with ggovernment, industry and the community, through partnerships.
The VC mentioned that UMaT would continue to support responsible mining and that it observed the Sustainable Small-scale Mining Awareness Day on June 2, this year, by engaging the Akoon Community Mine to create awareness among the people about the need to adopt sustainable and environmentally-friendly methods in artisanal and small-scale mining.
Prof. Amankwah noted that for many years mining communities had complained about employment in the industry while companies also explained that the situation was due to the absence of qualified personnel in the communities.
To promote skills development in mineral-rich communities, he said UMaT had teamed-up with the Bibiani Community to operationalise the Bibiani Community School.
The school was to build the capacity and prepare community members to take up professional jobs in the mining and minerals industry, he explained, saying “more of such community schools will be established in other mineral-rich communities.”
UMaT, he said had organised its annual innovation and career fair for junior and senior high school students in Tarkwa to visit their laboratories and interact with lecturers adding “this is to promote innovation among students.”
As part of the University’s Corporate Social Responsibility, UMaT would donate two of the motorised wheel chairs developed by Team Tech winners to the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital.
He expressed gratitude to the government for supporting the university, through the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), to establish the Jewellery Centre with the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) allocating $2.0 million for the project.
Prof. Amankwah also thanked the Ghana Chamber of Mines for the financial supports through its Tertiary Education Fund (GCM-TEF), which for five years, gave scholarships to brilliant but needy students, research grants for lecturers and post-graduate students, and also built a ffaculty block at UMaT.
To the graduands, he said “as you transition to the next stages of your lives, please do well to project the values of knowledge, truth and excellence. Please identify some of the many problems in our society and solve at least one significant problem for which reason society will remember you.”
At the ceremony, 13 graduands were awarded Doctor of Philosophy degrees out of 80 who received postgraduate degrees, while 582 were also awarded Bachelor of Science degrees in their respective engineering programmes.
A total of 105 students, representing 18 per cent of the graduating class, obtained First Class Honours.
Mr Abdul-Rahman Ishaak, from the Department of Mining Engineering, with a Cumulative Weight Average (CWA) of 88.79, emerged the Vice Chancellor’s overall best graduating student award and received a certificate, a cash prize of GH¢2,000 and a Laptop, sponsored by the UMaT Alumni Association.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, TARKWA
