The Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Mr. Jim Bever has paid a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. D. D Kuupole at his office.
The visit was to strengthen the relationship between USAID and the University of Cape Coast.
The Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (DFAS) has secured funding for a five-year project for improved fisheries and Coastal management in Ghana through capacity building, research and extension. The project seeks to among other things strengthen teaching and learning environment of DFAS by refurbishing offices of academic staff and lecture rooms. It also covers retooling the laboratory and library as well as offering scholarship and research grants to both postgraduate and undergraduate students of the Department. Additionally, the USAID will provide vehicles for field work and make the newly established Centre for Coastal Management fully operational.
Briefing the Vice-Chancellor on the purpose for the visit, Mr. Bever, who was accompanied by Mr. Peter Trenchard also of USAID, said education was the beginning of everything and UCC was in the fore front of championing this cause. “You are shaping the future of this country by providing education and with this, Ghana will be well placed sooner than later”. He called for assistance in the quest to change the fortunes of the country for the future generations and added that USAID was ready to partner the country in achieving this objective.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. D. D. Kuupole said management and the DFAS were happy and therefore committed to work with USAID to achieve the aim of the project. “We have a huge task ahead of us since it is meant to change and affect marine and aquatic life which will invariably impact on livelihoods”. He noted that the project would help re-inject and protect the various fish species as well as increasing their population”, the Vice-Chancellor added.
He also expressed optimism that the “social ills” on the beaches such as dumping of all kinds of waste materials into the ocean would be curbed through the project stressing that “It’s all about education, that is change in mindset, so we need to introduce this in the curriculum of our schools”. He finally called for the reintroduction of civics at the basic level to help inculcate the habit of responsibility at the early stages, saying “if the Ghana Education Service will help us in this direction, we can get somewhere”.
Present at the meeting were the Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan, Dean, School of Biological Sciences, Prof. Isaac Galyuon, Head of DFAS, Dr. Denis Aheto, Dr. Noble Asare of DFAS and Prof. John Blay, Coordinator, Centre of Coastal Management.
