On February 23, 2024, the Director of BIRD, Dr. Mrs. Monica Addison, donated 20 used laptops and a printer to Prempeh College Experimental Basic School 'C' in Kwadaso, Kumasi, Ashanti Region, as part of the community engagement initiative at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, led by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson.
The request was made by the Prempeh Basic School ‘C’ through Professor (Nana) Paul Sarfo-Mensah, who serves as both a researcher and development consultant at KNUST's Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD) as well as the chief of Kwadaso Anoo. Professor (Nana) Sarfo-Mensah reported that:
They mentioned to me that they have an IT lab that did not have enough computers. I went there to see the facility for myself. Later, they brought a formal letter requesting that if the university had any used computers that need to be discarded, they would be interested. The letter was sent to the Vice Chancellor's office by myself, he noted.
Professor (Nana) Sarfo-Mensah hinted that the laptops were given to BIRD after the close out of the USAID-Analytical Support Services and Evaluations in Sustainable Systems in Agriculture, Environment, Trade and Energy in West Africa (ASSESS-WA) project. BIRD was the host institution of the project at KNUST, the main local partner university of the project in West Africa.
Fortunately, when the ASSESS-WA project ended, BIRD had access to some of the resources including the laptops and printers. I brought this to the attention of the Director of BIRD, who gladly donated the items to the basic school to help BIRD do something the Vice Chancellor has been championing, University-Community Engagement, he added.
BIRD donated this to the young ones to get at least some IT education to achieve the KNUST objective of helping society, which is part of the Vice Chancellor's vision of supporting socio-economic development of local communities He stressed.
Mrs. Barbara Ohene Budu, headmistress of the school was thankful for the kind gesture from KNUST and expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
The management, staff, the S.M.C, P.A, and students of Prempeh College Experimental Basic School 'C' extend our sincere appreciation to BIRD and the KNUST. These devices will greatly aid our students in enhancing their IT skills, enabling them to thrive in the current technological era. We assure you that we will take the utmost care of these computers and fully commit to utilising them to fulfill their intended purpose, she said.
She expressed hope for future collaboration with the university to create a better future for the students. Â Â