UNIVERSITY OF MINES AND TECHNOLOGY MAKES POSITIVE IMPACT (PAGE 40)

ONE educational institution that has made a positive impact in the Western Region is the Tarkwa School of Mines.
It started in November 1952 as the Tarkwa Technical Institute (TTI). In 1957, through the initiative of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the institute was restructured to become the Tarkwa School of Mines and in 1976, the institution was affiliated as a faculty to the then University of Science and Technology (UST), now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
In October 2001, it was upgraded to become the Western University College of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology at Tarkwa.
In November 2004, the Western University College gave way to the establishment of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) by an Act of Parliament (Act 667). The Western University College which was given a full-fledged autonomous university status by Act 667 in November 2004 was renamed the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa.
The fast-growing university has a mission to provide higher education with speciality in mining and related fields to promote knowledge through research as well as provide professional services to the national and international communities.
The university’s vision is to become a Centre of Excellence in Ghana and indeed Africa by producing world-class professionals in the fields of geo-science, mining technology and related disciplines.
The University of Mines and Technology, the only public university in the Western Region, has three faculties and a school. The Faculty of Mineral Resources Technology offers academic programmes such as BSc in Geomatic Engineering, Geological Engineering, Mining Engineering and Mineral Engineering.
The Faculty of Engineering is offering BSc in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Mathematics as well as BSc in Computer Engineering, while the Faculty of Integrated Management Sciences offers BSc in Administration (Banking and Finance), Administration (Human Resources Management), Administration (Management Information Systems).
The School of Postgraduate Studies of the university co-ordinates all postgraduate programmes leading to the award of MSc, MPhil and PhD degrees, which are offered by the university.
The University of Mines and Technology has a good library and computing facilities for research work in mining and related disciplines.
The institution can boast modern and well-equipped laboratories in Geomatic Geological, Soil and Rock Mechanics, Mineral Processing, Mine Environmental and Safety, Explosives, Mechanical Engineering as well as workshops and light and heavy current laboratories.
Over the last four years, the university has been developing at a fast rate to the admiration of the people. While new infrastructural and learning facilities are being provided, the existing ones are also being improved and expanded.
The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has provided a total amount of GH¢9,171,446.06 to finance five projects at the university, including the provision of furniture.
The projects which are at various stages of execution include an auditorium which is being constructed at a cost of GH¢1,835,950.97; the Vice Chancellor’s lodge valued at GH¢1,104,001.40; students hostel worth GH¢3,580,026.09, and bungalows which are being provided at a total cost of GH¢452,329.14 as well as the construction of the campus road network at a cost of GH¢1,500,000.
The Wassa Fiase Traditional Council at Tarkwa has donated 26 square kilometres of land to the university to expand its facilities, since the present location is not large enough, causing congestion to the large number of students admitted every year.
A renowned architect, Mr Ekow Sam, who is also a member of the University Council, has offered to design the university’s guest house in Accra in addition to an ultra modern UMaT campus to be constructed on the new 26-kilometre land of the university.
He has already completed the design of the guest house and has also completed building of the new model of the university.
Speaking at a recent matriculation ceremony at the university, the Vice Chancellor of UMaT, Professor Daniel Mireku-Gyimah, commended the university’s benefactors for their positive contribution to the development of the university.
He seized the opportunity to encourage all other stakeholders, especially mining and related companies as well as the alumni of the university, to join them to develop the university further.
There are employment opportunities for graduates of the university in the large- and small-scale mining and allied companies, the Mines Department and Minerals Commission, the Geological and Survey Department, the financial institutions as well as the construction and manufacturing companies.
The graduates also have job opportunities in the electrical and electronic companies, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Energy Board, the Volta River Authority, the universities and other educational and research institutions as well as governmental and non-governmental organisations.